The Final Strike
by Dr. Mack Foxx
Summary: Sequel to Project Omega and The Village Guardian. Mack and Aura are enjoying thier honeymoon after a lavish wedding, but Cipher is far from finished. Now, Dr. Namwen is ready to unleash his wrath on the Guardians of Gardev and the hidden gardevoir city.
1. Section 1

Mack and Aura are busy enjoying their honeymoon after a lavish wedding. Despite the massive losses in the Gardev region, the battle to annihilate Cipher rages on. The evil scientist, Dr. Namwen, has not given up on his quest to complete Project Omega. All he needed was a suitable test subject and Cecil was more than willing to volunteer. Cecil, still blinded by rage, wants nothing short of having vengeance on the Guardians of Gardev and to claim the legendary Gardevoir city for Cipher. Project Omega will allow Cecil to gain the powers of the Guardians, but he does not realize that he is about to fall into the demented scientist's trap. Meanwhile, Cipher is starting to come apart at the seams in the Orre region and no one knows just what Dr. Namwen will do out of desperation to save Cipher, if not claim the world for himself.

A Pokémon fan-fiction written by Philip "Dr. Mack Foxx" Byard and Aaron "Aaraboga Jones" Byard

The Sequel to "The Village Guardian" and "Project Omega" written by Philip "Dr. Mack Foxx" Byard with some help from Aaron "Aaraboga Jones" Byard

This is a work of fan-fiction and may not be modified or sold under any circumstances.

Original Story, Characters and all other Original Content are Copyright 1987, 1995, 1999 and 2006 Philip "Dr. Mack Foxx" Byard and Aaron "Aaraboga Jones" Byard

Pokémon and all related content and characters are Copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2006 to Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures and The Pokémon Company

**-The Final Strike-**

**-1-**

K-1 stood alone in front of Central's main control terminal. The soft electronic clicks and beeps coming from the massive super computer were the only sound that could be heard in the room. K-1 had wanted some peace and quiet for a long time now. A chance to relax and unwind from the constant maintenance of the underground laboratory and the powerful star fighter, the _Firefox_, but with Mack gone, the lab was almost too quiet. He almost wished there would be a malfunction of some sort somewhere in the lab to break the monotony. Even having all the R-25 robots in the entire lab go berserk would be more fun than being alone in the large, hidden facility. Due to a series a freak teleportation accidents, Mack was now a Gardevoir, but that was only the beginning. Just a week ago, Mack had married Aura, a young Gardevoir, in the Gardev chapel. Now Mack would share the duties of protecting the small town and its people. Mack and Aura had left for the hidden Gardevoir city after their wedding night. K-1 knew they would be stuck in the world of Pokémon until an antidote could be found to revert Mack back into his fox-like form. K-1 and Central also figured the antidote could be used to transform Aura into a vixen. Thus, Mack, K-1 and Central would all be able to return to their home world with Aura, without drawing too much suspicion from Mack's friends and family. Either way, it would be one hundred years until the antidote would be ready. K-1 sighed, knowing how much time it would take to find a cure without any chance of side-effects or other various mishaps. Suddenly, Central's voice broke the near-silence in the room.

"K-1, we have a visitor," reported Central.

"I wonder who it could be this time," replied K-1 with curiosity. K-1 hoped that maybe Eric and his group of Alakazams had come for a visit. After all, they were the only others besides Mack and Aura who could access the lab.

"I can't get a visual on the surface," said Central, "Not since that Pidgeot tried to roost on one of the cameras and buried its talons into it."

"That poor bird got quite a shock when he…discovered the camera's power systems," said K-1 with nervous laughter, "Perhaps I camouflaged it too well."

"Well, once the Pidgeot recovers, releasing it will be a cinch," said Central as the soft humming of an elevator filled the room. K-1 faced the entryway, wondering who would round the corner into the room. As the doors of the elevator hissed open from down the hallway, K-1 then heard some strange rustling and a soft voice. K-1 could soon distinctly hear Mack walking down the corridor, humming the wedding march.

"Huh? What's Mack doing here?" asked K-1 to himself.

"We're just here to check on a few things," said Mack as he rounded the corner with Aura in his arms.

"A pleasure to see you again so soon, Mack," said Central happily as she gazed at Mack and Aura through one of her cameras, "I must say, you and Aura do make a very cute couple."

"I would hope so!" giggled Aura.

"Aren't you two supposed to be on your honeymoon?" asked a confused K-1, "And why are you both still wearing your wedding dresses?"

"Its Gardevoir tradition," replied Aura with a smile, "The bride and groom wear their wedding attire during their honeymoon while out in public as a sign of celebration."

"Is this how all Gardevoir couples celebrate marriage?" asked Central with curiosity.

"No," answered Aura, "Gardevoirs who don't live in the hidden cities like to keep things simple. They find a mate; exchange vows before a few witnesses and off they go together for the rest of their lives."

"Ah. I see," said Central.

"We'll also wear our wedding attire when one of our children gets married, on either Mack's or my birthday, on certain holidays and, most importantly, on our wedding anniversary," explained Aura as she stared at Mack. K-1 was busy gazing at Mack and Aura's wedding attire.

"Sheesh, Mack, your mother and father would blow a gasket if they saw you now," laughed K-1.

"Why would they?" asked Aura as she stroked Mack's satin-covered shoulders, "He looks absolutely wonderful."

"As do you, my love," said Mack gently. Aura smiled and winked at him.

"Now then," said Mack nervously as he faced K-1, "We came here to check on Ramirez. Is he doing any better?"

"I was just about to check on him," said K-1, "Follow me." Mack carried Aura as they followed K-1 to the medical room. There, sleeping in the cell-regenerator was Ramirez, Aura's younger brother. Though eight days had passed, Ramirez's skin and pendant were still jet-black.

"I see he's still a shadow Pokémon…" said Aura with despair.

"But there has been some progress," said K-1 as he closely examined Ramirez from behind the class covering of the machine, "He moved and spoke while viewing your wedding."

"After only a week, he did all that, eh?" asked Mack, "Well, that's good news, despite the fact that Ramirez's appearance hasn't changed at all."

"Does this mean he'll be cured soon?" asked Aura.

"Maybe," said K-1, "I still don't know how long this will take." K-1 closely gazed at the dark pendant on Ramirez's neck and noticed something peculiar.

"Find something?" asked Mack.

"Perhaps…" answered K-1 as he strained to get a closer view of the pendant, "I'll try a 400x zoom." K-1 could examine things on a microscopic level, but still, he could not get a good look at a very tiny, discolored blotch on the pendant.

"Let's try a 1600x zoom," said K-1 as he gazed even closer at the pendant, "Eureka! I don't believe it!"

"What do you see?" asked Aura with excitement.

"There's a microscopic area of the emerald pendant that has reverted back to its normal color. You can't see it with the naked eye, though. It's barely 75 nanometers across," explained K-1 as he walked away from the cell regenerator and reset his vision to normal.

"Glacian, Alexander and Aurora would love to hear of this," said Mack happily, "The pendant is purging itself of the darkness."

"I can't wait until my brother is back with us," said Aura softly.

"Is there anything else you needed?" asked K-1.

"Yes," said Aura, "Have Fredrick and Anna been behaving well?"

"Of course," answered K-1.

"I'm glad you could watch over them," said Aura with a smile, "My father and mother still have to rest for awhile before they can watch over the family again."

"They can rest as long as they need to," said K-1 with determination, "I can watch over Fredrick and Anna in the meantime."

"I see that you're good with children," said Aura with delight.

"I guess you could say that," said K-1. Aura smiled and looked into Mack's eyes.

"That could prove very useful in the near future…" said Aura tenderly as she closed her eyes.

"Indeed, Aura…Indeed…" said Mack gently as he closed his eyes and kissed Aura. The sapphire and ruby pendants once again glowed brightly as the lovers' lips touched. K-1 went wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

"I think I'm gonna short-circuit!" howled K-1 with despair as he flopped onto the floor face first.

"Relax K-1!" laughed Aura.

"We aren't going to be having children. Well…" said Mack as he gazed into Aura's eyes, "Not for a while, anyway." Aura giggled and faced K-1.

"Speaking of children, where are Fredrick and Anna right now?" asked Aura.

"Oh! Simon dropped by earlier and I let him take care of them for now," reported K-1 as he got back on his feet.

"You left Anna with Simon?" asked Aura with uneasiness in her voice.

"Yeah," replied K-1, "Is there something wrong with that?" A loud "BOOM!" from down the hallway confirmed Aura's anxiety. Moments later, Simon rushed into the room with Anna right on his tail.

"AAAAAACK!" screamed Simon the Kabutops as the little Kirlia chased him around the room with surprising speed.

"Get the cockroach babysitter!" shouted Anna mischievously as she chased Simon around the room while her right arm blazed with electricity.

"And why did you teach her Thunder Punch?" demanded K-1.

"Well, I was trying to teach her and Fredrick a few new attacks, but I didn't think she would try out her new moves on me!" yelled Simon as he ran back and forth. Anna stayed right behind him. Simon suddenly turned around and started moving his claws strangely, as if he was now behind a wall of glass.

"Huh?!" said Anna with surprise.

"Ha! Now I have a barrier up!" said Simon with triumph. He looked down and took a closer look as his claws: he was waving them back and forth rhythmically.

"Why is he telling me 'No' with both hands?" asked Anna as the electricity vanished from her arm.

"Oh, bother…" muttered Simon as his claws started glowing brighter and brighter with a strange, pale blue light.

"That's Metronome, isn't it?" asked K-1. Simon's body soon started radiating a bright, yellow and red light.

"And now he's about to unleash Explosion!" shouted Central. Mack quickly dove behind a large computer terminal while K-1 quickly extended a few arms, grabbed Anna and dove behind another computer with her. Mack held Aura tightly, bracing himself and getting ready to protect her from a powerful blast. Moments earlier, Central had unfolded several metal panels over her control panels, the other computer terminals and the main view screen.

"This is gonna be messy," grumbled K-1.Seconds later, there was a loud "Poof!" as smoke filled the room. The smoke soon cleared, revealing another Kirlia.

"Oh, no…" groaned Simon with despair, "…Transform…"

"Yay!" yelled Anna with glee as she broke loose from K-1's grip, ran towards Simon and then wrapped her arms around him, "Now I have another big brother!"

"I beg your pardon!" shouted Simon with shock as he tried to get free from Anna's bear hug. Fredrick quickly ran into the room after hearing the commotion.

"Is something wrong?!" asked Fredrick frantically.

"Nothing's wrong," answered Mack as he got up and helped Aura get back on her feet.

"Are you back from your honeymoon early?" asked Fredrick with curiosity.

"No," answered Aura with a smile.

"We just wanted to see how Ramirez and everyone else was doing," said Mack as his eyes fell on Simon, the struggling Kirlia, "And I'm glad we did, too."

"Someone, please get her off me!" complained Simon.

"Simon? Is that you?" asked a surprised Fredrick.

"Yes," grumbled Simon, "I tried to fool Anna into thinking I had a barrier up, instead, I used Metronome which lead to me using Transform! Now I'm stuck as a Kirlia!"

"But you make such an adorable Kirlia," giggled Anna.

"Is there an easy way to make that transformation wear off?" asked Fredrick.

"Well, the fastest way is for someone to defeat me in combat. For some reason, I've never been able to revert to my original form on my own. Would someone be willing to take me on?" asked Simon as he glared at Anna, "You, my dear, will not be taking the challenge!"

"Couldn't I just unload on you?" asked K-1 with a smirk as he retracted his hands and started to spin up his mini-plasma Vulcan cannons.

"It has to be a Pokémon battle," said Simon with a frown, "Heavy weapons will not do anything except blow me to steaming, black bits."

"Now, you know I'm just joking," said K-1 as his cannons spun down.

"How about me? I would like to try out those new moves you taught me," said Fredrick, volunteering for the challenge.

"You've only trained with me for a few hours, but you're already one of the best students I've ever had," said Simon as he faced Anna, "Unlike some Pokémon I know."

"Hey!" shouted Anna with disgust.

"Look on the bright side;" said Simon sinisterly, "You'll still get to watch me get beaten to a pulp by your older and smarter brother."

"But I wanted to destroy you!" quipped Anna.

"Now, now," said Aura as she grabbed Anna's hand and lead her away from Simon, "Just stand back and watch the fun."

"Shall we begin?" asked Fredrick.

"Yes," replied Simon as everyone else stood back.

"I would prefer that you would not engage in combat while in my main control chamber," grumbled Central as she surveyed the combatants, "Then again, this could be amusing. Carry on."

"Alright, Fredrick," said Simon, "Come at me with all you've got and don't hold back." Before Simon could utter another word, Fredrick ran right at him as right his arm blazed with electricity. Simon tried to jump out of the way, but ended up slipping and falling to the floor. Simon was certainly not used to standing on his tip-toes like a real Kirlia. Before Simon could react, Fredrick landed his punch on target, hitting Simon squarely in the face. Simon coughed as Fredrick jumped back, ready to either defend himself or try another attack.

"Typical…" moaned Simon, "Even the younger members of the Guardian family are incredibly powerful…" Simon could hardly believe what had just happened: after a single hit, he could no longer stand up.

"I…won already?" asked Fredrick with disbelief.

"Ooh! It was that easy to beat him? I want to try next!" said Anna with excitement as she got ready to attack.

"No…" said Simon weakly as he transformed back into his Kabutops self, "I've had enough punishment and embarrassment for one day." Suddenly, Fredrick started to glow with a bright, white light.

"Is he evolving already?" asked Aura with amazement as she shielded her eyes from the blinding light.

"Simon must be very hard to defeat indeed if that one battle was enough to make Fredrick evolve," said Mack with astonishment. Moments later, the bright light faded, revealing a Gardevoir where Fredrick the Kirlia had been standing just a few moments ago.

"Wow!" said Anna with happiness, "If that one fight made Fredrick evolve, than I really want to kick Simon's butt!"

"Not now you won't," said Aura with a smirk as her eyes glowed with a blue light. Anna lifted into the air.

"I think you can stay up there until you've cooled down a bit," said Mack. Fredrick was awestruck. He gazed at his green hands and at his new, white gown.

"Wow!" said Fredrick with amazement, "I'm a Gardevoir now?"

"And I could be one too, if Aura would let me!" protested Anna as Simon finally got back on his feet.

"You had me at a serious disadvantage, Fredrick," said Simon as he dusted himself off, "Nevertheless, you did well, Fredrick. Very few Pokémon have ever caught me off guard. You'll be a very good fighter indeed before long."

"I…I wonder if Sakura will evolve soon too," stammered Fredrick with hope.

"I'm sure she will," said Aura softly as she walked alongside her younger brother, "I know for a fact that Sakura likes you a lot."

"Now if you'll excuse me," said Simon as he started for the entrance of the room, "I'm going back to Gardev to get some rest and attempt to forget about what just happened here…"

"Do you want any help getting back there, Simon? We could give you a ride in the S-1," suggested Mack.

"No," replied Simon, "But you and Aura should come back to Gardev with Fredrick before long. I'm sure Alexander and Aurora would love to see their son now." As Simon left the room, Mack returned his attention to his beautiful wife.

"Since we're here, how about we pay a little visit to William? I would like to see just how well Sakura has been taking care of him," suggested Mack.

"Yes, we should," said Aura as she smiled at Mack, "Besides, I have a strange feeling that there is another pleasant surprise waiting for us back in Gardev."

"Then let's be off. Shall I carry you, my dear?" asked Mack with a polite bow as he smiled at Aura.

"If you insist, handsome," said Aura with a grin as Mack came alongside her and took her up in his arms.

"I'll watch over the lab," said K-1 as Mack carried Aura out of the room, "See you two later." Meanwhile, Ramirez stirred in the cell regenerator. He had overheard everything.

"…So…my little brother…evolved. That's wonderful," said Ramirez weakly, "…Simon…you may have failed, but…you still fought…as well as you could…" Central's cameras and hidden microphones quickly picked up this activity.

"Impressive!" remarked K-1 as he walked into the medical room and faced Ramirez, "He must have overheard everything!"

"Please don't let him…come back…for us…please…" wheezed Ramirez with fear as his pendant glowed strangely. Moments later, Ramirez lay still and silent again. K-1 took another close look at the pendant with his powerful eyes.

"Sheesh," said K-1 with disbelief, "Now the green area is over 156 nanometers across."

"But what did he mean? I wonder who Ramirez could be afraid of," said Central.

"Obviously," said K-1 grimly, "I think Ramirez can sense something coming. After all, Eric's brother did manage to escape us. Considering what that madman has done so far, I can only imagine what he's up to now."


	2. Section 2

**-2-**

Dr. Namwen chuckled with glee. So far everything was going according his plans. Just days earlier, he had run several tests on Cecil; just to make sure everything would work properly. Dr. Namwen was especially ecstatic on how Cecil had agreed to do everything in secret. Now the vile scientist had the first test subject for Project Omega.

"Now then," cackled Dr. Namwen, "I will remind you that this process is still potentially dangerous. Are you sure you're willing to risk everything to become a Gardevoir and have the powers of the Guardians at your disposal?" Cecil was suspended in a large, glass capsule, floating above the metal floor.

"I'm ready!" shouted Cecil with impatience, "I can't wait any longer. I will have vengeance on the Guardians and claim the Gardevoir city for Cipher!" Dr. Namwen decided he should give Cecil one last chance to think things over.

"I will remind you that I have not yet finished my research. I'm close to a conclusion, but I still have not discovered a way to change you back into a human. Are you absolutely certain this is what you want?" asked Dr. Namwen.

"Your concern is unwarranted and surprises even me," said Cecil coldly, "After I'm a Gardevoir, why would I want to change back into a powerless, feeble human anyway?"

"I'm just making certain of your choice," said Dr. Namwen as he walked over to a computer console, "The process should take only a matter of hours. When you awaken, you will be one of the most powerful Pokémon in the world."

"Yes," said Cecil with determination, "The power of the Guardians is going to me mine."

"Then brace yourself, my friend," said Dr. Namwen with a fiendish smile, "And kiss your human frailties goodbye." Dr. Namwen thrust his right hand forward and pressed a large, red button on the console. Moments later, light poured into the capsule and electricity lanced around a giant machine in the room as the mechanical humming got louder and louder.

"Yes," thought Dr. Namwen as he closely monitored Cecil's vital signs from the computer, "Kiss all your human problems goodbye…as well as your freedom, my friend…"

**-3-**

Simon, though thoroughly rattled from his brief battle with Fredrick, could still not believe how powerful his adversary had been. Only one other Pokémon had ever defeated him so quickly.

"Fredrick was almost as strong as Glacian all those years ago. Seems to me that the Guardian bloodline has gotten much stronger over the years," thought Simon as he walked down the streets of Gardev. Just as he was about to round a corner, he heard a scream and felt something smash into his forehead. Simon collapsed to the ground, disoriented from the unexpected blow.

"Oh, sorry about that, Simon," said a familiar, feminine voice with embarrassment, "You really scared me."

"Hmmm?" asked Simon as his blurry vision quickly returned to normal. He looked up and found himself face to face with Sakura, the Kirlia.

"These Kirlia are getting too powerful for my taste…" muttered Simon, "And this little one isn't even from the Guardian family."

"Is something wrong?" asked Sakura with concern as she helped Simon to his feet.

"No. Nothing is…" said Simon as he was interrupted by getting blinded from a bright, white light.

"Here we go again," said Simon as he closed his eyes and turned away from the blinding light. Moments later, the light faded, revealing another Gardevoir.

"I've…already evolved?" asked Sakura with disbelief.

"Heh!" said an irritated Simon, "You evolved because you defeated me too! It was hardly a good fight: you just come out and snipe me with a quick punch and BOOM, you're a Gardevoir." Simon quickly forgot about his frustration and anger when he remembered what had happened to Fredrick just minutes ago.

"I'm so sorry," said Sakura with grief, "I didn't mean to hurt you." Simon just smiled at the young Gardevoir.

"It's okay. That was all just an honest mistake. You know, I think you and Fredrick should see each other again soon. In fact he's coming back to Gardev later today," said Simon.

"Oh, dear!" said Sakura nervously, "What's he going to think of me now? He's probably still a Kirlia."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," said Simon with a grin, "Now, how about you take me back to your house? I'd like to have a little chat with William."

"Okay," said Sakura with glee, "Just follow me." Off in the distance, Warren, Jake and Glacian looked on.

"That was kind of funny, the way Sakura blind-sided Simon," chuckled Jake.

"And now Sakura is a fully-grown Gardevoir," said Glacian happily, "What I foresaw at Mack's wedding is coming true."

"Fredrick is going be in for quite a shock when he sees her," said Warren.

"They both will be!" laughed Glacian, "This almost reminds me of the day I met Gloria."

"Oh? What happened?" asked Warren with curiosity.

"Well, the time had come for me to choose a mate, so I was taken to the Gardevoir city by my father to find a suitable female Gardevoir," explained Glacian, "My father had already passed the duties of Guardianship to me a few days before. Anyway, I had the ruby pendant in my right hand and was walking down Main Street in the city, when out of nowhere, another Gardevoir ran into me as I was crossing an alley. As our eyes met, we were absolutely shocked, not just at our unexpected meeting, but at the sight of each other." Glacian closed his eyes and slumped against a nearby wall blissfully.

"Love at first sight, eh?" asked Warren.

"Indeed it was," laughed Glacian, "I knew it was meant to be by looking into the future. So, my father watched in shock as I put the ruby pendant around my bride-to-be's neck, without even knowing her name!"

"Gadzooks…" said Jake, "Like a blind date, only you're cutting to the chase."

"You could say that," chuckled Glacian, "It was only minutes later that she finally calmed down. Believe me, being chosen as the mate of one of the Guardians within seconds of meeting would be a shock to anyone. After all, being a Guardian is one of the most honorable things to us Gardevoir. The only thing close to that is to be a companion to a human trainer: to guide people through their Pokémon journey and protect them. Anyway, she managed to get a hold of herself, smiled at me and then told me her name: Gloria. We were married just a week after our rather unorthodox meeting."

"Looks like Gardevoir love is pretty simple," remarked Jake with a shrug.

"Not necessarily," said Glacian as he watched Sakura guide Simon to her home, "It can take years for a Gardevoir to find a mate. Why, Aura had been looking for one for quite some time, until she came across Mack. At any rate, I can see what's coming: Fredrick and Sakura have no idea that they both evolved today and they're about to find this out very soon." Sakura lead Simon into her home with Makoto and the little girl, Sakura.

"Makoto, I'm home!" said Sakura happily as she and Simon entered the living room. Makoto walked into the living and almost dropped her frying pan when she saw the young Gardevoir, standing in her living room.

"You've…evolved already?" asked a flabbergasted Makoto.

"Yes," said Sakura happily, "I'm hoping Fredrick will come by here later to see me."

"That's good," said Makoto with a smile, "Maybe the Gardevoir of your dreams will come soon, too." Simon coughed.

"Ahem. We're looking for a certain Pikachu. Is William here?" asked Simon impatiently.

"And who is this?" asked Makoto as she skeptically glanced at the old Kabutops.

"Oh! He accidentally scared me and I knocked him out for a spell," said Sakura with embarrassment, "His name is Simon."

"A pleasure to meet you, Makoto," said Simon as he bowed politely, "Now, may you please tell me where William is? I need to speak with him."

"William is upstairs in Sakura's room. She went to play outside after tending to him," said Makoto, "She really spoiled that Pikachu, if you ask me. Just go on up if you want to see him." Makoto walked out of the living room and back into the kitchen to make lunch. Simon and Sakura walked up the stairs and towards the young girl's room.

"How come both you and that little girl are named Sakura?" asked a confused Simon. Sakura laughed nervously.

"She named me after a character from one of her favorite cartoons. Just like Li, the Mawile. I wonder where he's hiding this time. Maybe he's snooping around the kitchen, waiting to snatch some cookies again," said Sakura as she opened the door to the room. There, they found William, laying on a fluffy pillow with bowls of food and water all about him. William belched as Sakura and Simon walked towards him.

"I see she's been treating you very well," said Simon with a smirk.

"No kidding…" sighed William with delight, "She's such a nice girl: she gets me anything I want and, most importantly, she keeps Anna away from me! I don't ever want to leave here." William finally opened his eyes and noticed an unfamiliar Gardevoir in the room.

"Do I know you?" asked William. The Gardevoir laughed, knelt down and gently stroked William.

"Of course, I'm Sakura," said Sakura with a smile.

"A Gardevoir already, eh? How did that happen?" asked William inquisitively.

"She surprised me with a Thunder Punch and defeated me for the second time today," grumbled Simon, "It wasn't even a decent fight. I had already been weakened from a previous battle."

"Ah. You must be quite powerful in order for a Pokémon to evolve so quickly after beating ya," remarked William, "Besides who was able to nail you earlier today?"

"I don't want to discuss that right now. At any rate, I need to have a word with you," said Simon sternly.

"Later," yawned William as he snuggled deeper into his pillow, "Any moment now, that sweet little girl is going to come in here and brush my fur. She really knows how to pamper a Pokémon." Simon snarled and walked towards a window at the back of the room. He glanced out the room and soon he got an idea to quickly get William on his feet.

"What's this?" said Simon, "I think Anna is coming up the driveway towards this house."

"Big deal," said William, not even fazed by the announcement, "The little girl won't let her near me."

"I see a makeup kit in her left hand," said Simon and he stared out the window, "A big one at that."

"Please…" scoffed William, "You know Anna and Sakura like to play dress-up and mess around with make-up."

"That's true," said Sakura with a friendly smile, "I remember when we played dress-up on Halloween. You'll never guess who Li and I were."

"I don't think that's the case," said Simon grimly, "She has a small, pink, frilly dress on her right shoulder."

"And I should care because…?" asked William, getting more and more irritated by the minute.

"That little girl isn't here to save you this time," said Simon, trying not to laugh, "Besides, that dress appears to be your size…William." William's ears perked up immediately and his eyes opened wide. He jumped off the pillow, into Sakura's arms and faced her with pleading eyes.

"Please! Don't let her get me!" begged William as the door to the room slowly creaked open.

"It's too late now…" said Simon in a spooky voice, "You can't escape your pink, frilly, perfumed doom!" Simon laughed loud and sinisterly. William screamed as the door opened wide.

"And what is going on here?!" demanded Mack.

"Are you okay, William?" asked Aura with concern. William stopped trembling and opened his eyes. Anna had not come into the room, just two newlywed Gardevoirs in wedding dresses. Simon and Sakura laughed as William growled.

"You tricked me!" snarled William as he tried to get free from Sakura's embrace, "You said Anna was coming here to play dress-up with me!"

"Are you disappointed?" asked Aura with a grin, "Just give me some time. I'm sure Aurora could help me find a nice, pretty dress, just for you. Then, Mack and I can play dress-up with you back at the lab." William sighed with despair, slipped out of Sakura's arms and flopped onto the floor.

"You're all out to get me, aren't you…?" groaned William with despair.

"Hardly," said Aura as Mack set her back on her feet. Aura walked over to William and picked him up.

"Come here, you," said Aura sweetly as she held and stroked William. Mack glared at Simon.

"What?" asked Simon, trying to act surprised, "All I wanted to do was get that yellow blob off the floor."

"Come, come," said Aura as she hugged William and twirled with the friendly Pikachu in her arms, "That's no way to talk about our little friend."

"Yeah!" snapped William as he stuck his tongue out at Simon, "That's no way to talk about me!"

"That reminds me," said Mack as he walked into the room and stood alongside Aura. Aura stopped twirling.

"We have a little surprise for you and Fredrick," said Aura with a smile.

"A surprise?" asked Sakura with excitement, "Oh, goody!"

"Close your eyes," said Mack, "You too, Fredrick."

"Fredrick is here, too?" asked Sakura as she closed her eyes, "I can't wait to see him!"

"Quiet now," said Aura as she led her youngest brother into the room, "You're both going to love this." Before long, Fredrick and Sakura were face to face, but they still had not gazed at each other just yet.

"Okay," said Mack as he smiled, "You can open your eyes now." With that, Fredrick and Sakura opened their eyes and almost jumped when they saw each other for the first time as Gardevoirs.

"You evolved too?!" shouted Fredrick and Sakura in unison and with shock.

"Yes," grumbled Simon as he bowed his head in shame, "You both managed to defeat me in one day." Fredrick and Sakura just smiled at each other while Mack and Aura embraced. Mack glanced back and forth at Fredrick and Sakura as he held Aura.

"Love at first sight, isn't it?" whispered Mack.

"Apparently, Alexander and Aurora also fell in love when they first laid eyes on each other," said Aura quietly with joy.

"Wow…" said Fredrick with amazement, "You're even more beautiful as a Gardevoir, Sakura." Sakura blushed and smiled at her dear friend.

"And what do we have here?" asked Eric as he entered the room. Alexander, Aurora and Glacian were right behind him. They all stopped in their tracks when they laid eyes on Fredrick and Sakura for the first time as Gardevoirs.

"Hmmmmm," said Glacian as he carefully gazed at Fredrick and Sakura, "What I foresaw is coming to pass."

"Dear me…" stammered Aurora.

"Well, well!" said Alexander with delight, "You and Sakura sure grew up fast! How did this happen?"

"I grow tired of telling this story," said Simon with a heavy sigh, "They both defeated me in combat today. That's all you need to know." Alexander put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I think we need to talk, Fredrick," said Alexander as he led his son out of the room.

"Sakura?" asked Aurora, "Could you please come with me?" Sakura nodded and followed Aurora out of the room leaving behind Eric, Glacian, Simon, William, Mack and Aura.

"This day just keeps getting more and more exciting," said Eric happily as he faced Mack and Aura, "I've been looking everywhere for you two."

"Is there something you need?" asked Mack.

"I just wanted to tell you that there's going to be a tournament in Alakaz tomorrow afternoon!" reported Eric.

"I think I've had enough bad luck with these so-called, tournaments," said Mack with a frown. Aura nodded her head in agreement, recalling the false tournament that Cipher had used to try and trap her and Mack back in Alakaz.

"Mr. Allens came to Gardev a few days ago. He wanted to invite you, Aura and your friends. Since he couldn't find you, he had me pass on his message," explained Eric, "Mr. Allens not only wants you to come as his honored guests, but he also hopes you'll join the tournament."

"I think you and Aura should go," said Glacian, "The tournament would be good exercise for the both of you."

"Yeah! You and Aura would be unstoppable!" declared Anna as she ran into the room with Li and another Kirlia right behind her. Aura quickly noticed Anna's friend.

"And who is this?" asked Aura with a smile.

"Oh!" replied Anna, "Where are my manners? This is my friend from school, Enrique. We've been dancing partners for a few years now."

"Pleased to meet you," said Enrique with a polite bow, "It's especially an honor to meet you and Aura, Mack. I didn't get much of a chance to introduce myself at your wedding."

"If you please," said Eric, interrupting Enrique, "There is only one thing we really need: all Pokémon in the tournament have to have a trainer of some sort in order to enter."

"Warren and Jake are busy taking care of our parents, Mack," said Aura softly, "They still need to rest."

"Of course, Makoto has to take care of Sakura and Paul has to mind his store. I can't think of anyone else who could take us," said Mack as he paced back and forth in the room.

"I won't be able to help you on this one. I need to stay out of sight until Cipher is dealt with," explained Eric.

"All we need is something that looks even remotely like a human trainer," said Mack.

"How about you, Simon?" asked Aura, "You imitated a human quite well at that fake tournament."

"As much as I would like to, I cannot. I have other matters that need taken care of," replied Simon.

"There has to be someone…" said Mack. Enrique walked up to Mack and gently tugged on his skirt. Mack and Aura looked down at the young Kirlia.

"Do you have an idea?" asked Aura with curiosity. Enrique quietly whispered something to Mack and Aura. Mack then slowly turned around as his eyes fell on Anna and Li.

"Why are you staring at me?" asked Anna. Mack grinned.

"How would you and Li like to come with me and Aura to Alakaz?" asked Mack.

"Sure!" said Li with excitement.

"Okay, but why do you need us to come along?" asked a bewildered Anna.

"You and Li will be our trainer," said Mack with a devious grin, "It won't be hard to make a disguise for you two. All we need is a hooded trench coat, a pair of dark glasses and a suitable hat."

"Can I come along too?" asked Enrique, "My parents said I could spend the weekend with Anna as long as there were some adults around."

"Of course you can come!" said Mack happily.

"Especially since you solved our problem of needing a trainer," said Aura with a smile.

"That should do, but it can't be just two Pokémon in all," warned Eric, "This tournament is a 4 on 4 double-battle. You'll need two more Pokémon on your team."

"I would not stake your hopes on William," said Simon in a serious tone, "He's been out of combat for far too long."

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," grumbled William.

"Yes," said Glacian as he looked William over, "William is strong, but his reflexes and concentration are sub-par at best at the moment." Suddenly, Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick and Sakura the Gardevoir walked into the room.

"I don't see why you can't take my son with you," said Alexander, "He's a good fighter and he could use the experience. Besides, all the members of the Guardian family are some of the strongest Gardevoirs on Earth."

"If you'll let Fredrick go with you, then I want to come along, too," said Sakura, "I've never been in a real Pokémon battle before. It could be fun!"

"Two Gardevoir couples, eh?" said Mack as he glanced at Aura, "That should do just fine."

"You're not leaving without me!" said Xavier as he poked his head through an open window, "I wouldn't miss this little event for the world!"

"Fair enough!" laughed Mack as he picked up William, "You can come too, if you want, William."

"Count me in!" said William happily, "It will be a real joy to watch all of you pound the competition into the ground." Alexander and Aurora soon turned their attention to Anna and her friend, Enrique.

"Do you want to go with Mack and Aura, too, Anna?" asked Alexander with a grin.

"Yes! We're part of a secret plan," said Anna as she jumped up and down with excitement.

"Okay," replied Aurora, "Just make sure you two stay near an adult Pokémon."

"We will!" replied Anna and Enrique.

"While you're all gone, I'll be watching over Gardev and keeping and eye on Ramirez," said Glacian.

"Well, since you're all going to the tournament, you'd better leave right away. It will be twilight by the time you get to Alakaz," said Eric.

"Then let's be off," said Mack as he held Aura's hand and started to leave the house with William, Fredrick, Enrique, Anna and Sakura right behind them. Outside, Xavier flapped his wings and took to the skies.

"Bring back a trophy or two," said Glacian with a smile. Before long, the small party was on its way back to the hidden, underground lab.

"We'll take an S-5. It should be the fastest way to get all of us to Alakaz," said Mack.

"Especially since it's the only thing you have big enough for me!" said Xavier as he hovered over them. Aura turned her head and faced Sakura and her brother, Fredrick.

"Fredrick, what did Alexander and Aurora talk to you about?" asked Aura with curiosity.

"Ah. Dad was telling me what is expected of a Gardevoir and what is honorable," replied Fredrick.

"That's pretty much what Aurora told me, too," said Sakura.

"Just like when I became a Gardevoir," said Aura softly to herself. Before long, they were all onboard the S-5 and were on their way to Alakaz.


	3. Section 3

**-4-**

Cecil awoke. His vision was blurred and he could not tell where he was at the moment. As his vision cleared, he soon noticed he was still in the capsule in Dr. Namwen's laboratory. He looked down at himself and gasped. His hands were now green and had only three fingers each. He now had a strange, red fin coming out of his chest and he was wearing the familiar, flowing white gown of a Gardevoir. He reached down and felt the soft fabric of his white skirt. He peered closer into the glass walls of the capsule and saw his reflection. The green hair and large, red eyes were unmistakable.

"That madman did it!" thought Cecil with delight, "I'm a Gardevoir at last!" He closed his eyes and tried to focus his newfound power, but for some reason, he could not call upon the destructive powers of the Guardians.

"I see you've finally woken up," cackled Dr. Namwen, "How do you like your new body?"

"To be honest I haven't felt this good in years!" said Cecil, "Now could you please let me out of here?"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," said Dr. Namwen with an evil grin, "You're mine now, Cecil."

"What?" asked Cecil, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll just be blunt," replied Dr. Namwen, "I've been watching you for years now and I, for one, am tired of how you've been running your division of Cipher. Most importantly, however, is how you've been treating your Pokémon."

"That's a strange thing for you to say," growled Cecil, "I can still hear the screams from your Alakazams as you had them turned back into Shadow Pokémon."

"That was merely punishment!" snapped Dr. Namwen, "Normally, the Pokémon are asleep and don't even notice what's happening to them. Besides, my Alakazams were about to aid our enemies. I wanted to make absolutely certain that they would never even think of such a thing again. I don't know about you, Cecil, but I can't abide treachery."

"You've made your point," said Cecil, "Now let me out of here! I have some unfinished business with the Guardians! The Gardevoir city must be claimed by Cipher."

"Indeed it will," said Dr. Namwen, "But you won't even be aware of it once I get through with you." Dr. Namwen walked over to a control panel and started pressing buttons and flipping switches. Lights on machinery in the room lit up.

"What are you doing now?" demanded Cecil, "You let me out of here this instant or I'll summon the guards! I'll have you thrown out of Cipher if you don't let me out of this stupid capsule right now!" Dr. Namwen didn't seem to be paying any attention to Cecil's threats.

"You'll summon the guards? Oh, no! Whatever shall I do?!" laughed Dr. Namwen with sarcasm, "Please. The guards won't care one bit. How about we find out, eh?" Dr. Namwen pressed a red button on the control panel and, minutes later, a Cipher guard ran into the room.

"Is there something you need, sir?" asked the guard.

"You're on, my friend," whispered Dr. Namwen with an evil grin. Cecil faced the guard.

"Hey! Arrest Dr. Namwen at once, corporal and get some technicians to get me out of this capsule!" commanded Cecil. The guard didn't move. The guard just gazed at the Gardevoir with curiosity as it spoke to him.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, when did you get another Gardevoir?" asked the guard.

"Oh. I found this magnificent male Gardevoir not far from the base perimeter," explained Dr. Namwen, "I just couldn't pass it up. Besides, I will need a suitable fighter for an upcoming mission." Cecil watched and listened in shock.

"Okay. Is there any reason you needed me in here?" asked the guard as he continued to stare at the Gardevoir.

"I merely pressed the wrong switch," lied Dr. Namwen, "I was about to turn this Gardevoir into a Shadow Pokémon."

"I see," said the guard, "By the way, sir, administration wants to know what has become of Admin Cecil, sir. He's been missing for a week now."

"I'm afraid Cecil is no longer with us," said Dr. Namwen, "I heard he was annihilated by rogue Pokémon south of Alakaz."

"That's so…unbelievable," replied the shocked guard.

"I'm going to miss Cecil terribly. In fact, I named this beautiful Gardevoir Cecil, in my old friend's honor. Cecil also left me in charge of his Onix," said Dr. Namwen as he grinned at Cecil. Cecil glared at the mad scientist and then roared at him with great anger.

"Alright, sir," said the guard with a salute, "If there is anything you need, please let me know." With that, the guard was gone. Cecil glared at Dr. Namwen.

"What have you done to me?!" screamed Cecil with rage, "That guard didn't understand me at all!" Just then, Dr. Namwen produced a tape recorder from his left jacket pocket and pressed the Play button. Cecil listened to the recording with disbelief.

"Gardev! Gardevoir! Voir! Gardevoir-gardev-voir!" said Cecil's voice from the tape recorder.

"You wanted to be a Gardevoir and you got it my friend," chuckled Dr. Namwen, "Everything that goes with it."

"You mean…no one can understand me?" asked Cecil with fear.

"Yes," replied Dr. Namwen, "Only other Pokémon and a few certain humans, such as me, can make any sense of your gibberish. Why else do you think that guard looked at you the way he did? You've sealed your fate, Cecil."

"You won't get away with this!" growled Cecil.

"Unfortunately for you, I already have," said Dr. Namwen with an evil smile as he walked to a large control console.

"You can't abide treachery, huh? Than what in heck are you doing to me?!" shouted Cecil as his eyes started to glow red from his growing rage. Dr. Namwen didn't seem to be paying attention to Cecil's rants and threats.

"I remember the way you treated the fair Guardian of Gardev. What was her name? Aura?" said Dr. Namwen, "You let her slip right through your fingers and left her for dead. I will not be making the same mistake. You are about to become my greatest weapon, Cecil. Once I'm finished here, I will lead the attack on the Gardevoir city, recover XD002 and capture those newlywed Guardians with you as a new type of soldier."

"I'm not going to be your slave!" snarled Cecil.

"You won't even be aware of what's going on soon," said Dr. Namwen as the machinery in the room clicked and hummed louder and louder, "Thanks to you, I now have the perfect way to give other humans the powers of Pokémon and they will even be able to turn back into their human forms with ease. You, on the other hand, will be a Pokémon for the rest of your life." Cecil pounded frantically on the capsule walls as black clouds started to fill the capsule.

"Aaaarrrrg!" screamed Cecil in pain as the dark power started to infuse him.

"Music to my ears," said Dr. Namwen coldly. Cecil glanced back at the scientist as he fell to his knees. Suddenly Cecil saw something from the future. For once, he was actually amazed and had respect for the powers of a Gardevoir.

"This is far from over, you fiend…" wheezed Cecil, "The Guardians will come for me." Dr. Namwen laughed.

"Why would the Guardians help you? You've put them through more trouble than all of Cipher combined!" said Dr. Namwen with cruel laughter, "No one will be helping you, that is for sure."

"I can't believe it's taken this long for me to realize what I've been doing all these years," said Cecil quietly, "All the energy I wasted on needless destruction, trying to get to the top ranks in Cipher. I'll be coming for you one of these days, Dr. Namwen. Unlike you, I tend to keep my word." Moments later, Cecil fell silent as his white skin turned jet-black.

**-5-**

Hours later, Mack and his friends arrived in Alakaz. As they walked down the streets, they noticed posters and flyers on fences and walls, advertising for the tournament.

"So, all the fun begins at 10:00 AM," said Mack as he carried Aura down the street with William, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna, Enrique and Li walking closely behind while Xavier floated in the skies above the city.

"We have to be registered by 9:15 AM at the very latest," said Aura. Anna seemed to be unusually optimistic.

"Do I really get to pretend to be a human, Mack?" asked Anna with excitement.

"Yes, otherwise, we won't be able to enter," answered Mack.

"Now for the next question: where are we going to sleep tonight?" asked William with a yawn.

"Obviously, the streets are a not a suitable place for a fine princess," said Mack as he glanced at Aura as she smiled at him, "I know just the place." Before long, they were at a nice hotel. As they entered through the front doors, Mr. Allens looked up from the front desk to see two Gardevoirs in wedding dresses with other Pokémon following close behind them.

"Um…" said a confused Mr. Allens, "Can I help you?"

"We just need a room or two for the next few nights," said Mack. Mr. Allens instantly recognized the voice. He took a closer look at the two Gardevoirs and finally noticed the sapphire and ruby pendants.

"Mack? Aura? What brings you two here? Did you just get married or something?" asked Mr. Allens nervously.

"Actually, we're still on our honeymoon," said Aura softly, "We're going to enter the tournament tomorrow."

"You're going to enter the tournament after all, eh? Splendid! Well," said Mr. Allens with a grin, "The only thing I can think of that would be suitable for you lovers would be the honeymoon suite!"

"That's what I was thinking, but we'll also need another suite for Sakura, Fredrick, William, Anna and Li here," said Mack as he pointed at each one of his friends, "How much for two nights in your finest suites?"

"Nothing!" declared Mr. Allens, "You did so much for the people of Alakaz. I think you deserve some sort of reward for yours and Aura's valiant efforts."

"No. I can't accept a reward," said Mack politely.

"Than think of it as a belated wedding present from me," said Mr. Allens, "I think you deserve the very best this city has to offer."

"A wedding present, eh?" said Mack with a smile, "Then I accept. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," said Aura with a friendly smile.

"Just go on up and have a nice night together. I'll have a suite ready for your friends in a few minutes," said Mr. Allens, "And congratulations, Mack and Aura. I knew you two would be perfect for each other." Mack nodded, looked into Aura's eyes and started up a nearby stairwell with her in his arms. As they rounded the corner and were out of site, Mack held Aura tightly as kissed her. The pendants still glowed brightly as their lips touched. Aura giggled and gently stroked Mack's right shoulder. Mack took another look at Aura's wedding dress and jewelry and sighed blissfully. Before long, the two lovers were at their room. Mack glanced at the door and it opened. While they entered the room, they stared into each other's eyes. As they closed their eyes to kiss again, Aura waved her right arm at the door and it closed and locked itself. Meanwhile, Mr. Allens had just taken Fredrick and company to their room.

"Mack and Aura really look like they're having a wonderful time," said Sakura happily as she closed the door.

"Gardevoir are the embrace Pokémon," said William.

"They certainly have been doing a lot of that lately!" laughed Anna.

"We have a big day ahead of us, Sakura," said Fredrick, "You and Anna can have the beds." Before anyone could notice, William ran into the bedroom and snatched a pillow from one of the beds.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on the couch?" asked Sakura.

"Of course," replied Fredrick, "You need your rest more than I do."

"I'll take the recliner," said Enrique as he leapt onto it.

"I don't really need a bed," said Anna as she danced across the floor and towards a nearby phone, "After all, with room service and enough sugar, sleepiness has no power over me!"

"Come on…" said Sakura as she reached out and grabbed Anna's right arm, "The last thing we need to be seen with is a sleepy trainer who can't stop shaking."

"Besides Anna, we can't dance together if you're bouncing off the walls," yawned Enrique.

"Agreed," said Li as he flopped onto the living room floor. Fredrick lay on the couch while Sakura dragged a griping Anna off to bed. William snuggled up next to Li. As the night wore on, Fredrick could not stop thinking about Sakura. He dreamed he was at a wedding, marrying Sakura with all his friends and family there. William awoke briefly and noticed Fredrick as he smiled while asleep. William had been observing Fredrick and Sakura for quite a few hours now and he came to a conclusion.

"I wonder if they'll want me to be their ring-bearer, too…" yawned William as he quickly fell back asleep.

**-6-**

Hours and hours of work had finally paid off. It was 4:13 in the morning and Dr. Namwen's latest technological triumph was complete. He had managed to develop a serum, that when injected, would cause human DNA to bind with a Pokémon's DNA of choice. This would result in a transformation into a Pokémon. Now, Dr. Namwen had several serums ready to go from several promising species: Machamp, Electabuzz, Scyther, Golduck, Primeape, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Gardevoir, Breloom, Alakazam, Kabutops, Blaziken, Hypno and Mr. Mime. Then, there was the crown jewel of the collection: a single dose of Mewtwo DNA that had been extracted from the ruins of the Gardev base, shortly before the base remnants were hauled away. News from the Orre region was good: agents had successfully abducted Dr. Krane. Hopefully, agents would be able to convince Dr. Krane to join their cause. After all, Dr. Krane and his associates had developed a way to heal Shadow Pokémon. Granted, his method of purifying Shadow Pokémon was less potent than the power of the Guardians, but the very thought was enough to send alarms through Cipher all the way to the leader himself, Master Greevil. Regardless of this success, Dr. Namwen was still on edge. By using telepathy and accessing his Alakazams' powers of foresight, Dr. Namwen learned two things: the assault in the Orre region was doomed and if the Guardians took up arms against him, he would ultimately fail. Nevertheless, Dr. Namwen was about to throw fate a curveball or two.

"The volunteers have been assembled, sir," said a Cipher agent as he saluted Dr. Namwen.

"Tell me, how many people want the powers of Pokémon?" asked Dr. Namwen.

"I counted 49, sir," replied the agent.

"Splendid," replied Dr. Namwen with an evil grin, "Four squadrons and one field general." Dr. Namwen walked out of his lab, took a glance at his new Shadow Pokémon, Cecil and then walked into another room. The volunteering agents were sitting in folding chairs, anxiously awaiting their transformation. Dr. Namwen quickly glanced around the room, until his eyes fell on one particular agent.

"Captain David," said Dr. Namwen.

"Yes, sir!" said Captain David with pride.

"You've proven your worth and your undying loyalty to Cipher time and again," said Dr. Namwen, "Therefore, you will be the first to become an Omegaling. Not only will you become the most powerful soldier, but you will also be the leader of four entire squadrons in our attempt to take the Gardevoir city."

"Isn't the Gardevoir city just a myth? Maybe a legend?" asked one agent with skepticism.

"The Gardevoir city does in fact exist," said Dr. Namwen as he pointed to the location of the city on a large map on the wall, "The city is located roughly 30 miles south of the town of Gardev. It will be up to all of you to complete our objectives. You are the only ones who have volunteered for this assignment." Dr. Namwen looked up and faced the group of agents.

"I understand that much, but what about giving us… super powers?" asked another eager agent. Dr. Namwen grinned at the young recruit.

"Obviously, such an assault on a city filled with thousands of Gardevoirs would be certain death for a group of humans," explained Dr. Namwen, "Therefore; you will all be turned into the Pokémon of your choice. This will give you the extra power you'll need to combat the Gardevoirs." Dr. Namwen walked towards a table in the left corner of the room.

"You will also be outfitted with more technology, freshly harvested from the alien suit of armor," said Dr. Namwen as he pointed out the new equipment, "Everything from durable body armor, personal shield generators, advanced firearms and even powerful scanners to allow you to find Pokémon, now matter where they might be hiding."

"Still, how are we going to capture so many Gardevoirs?" demanded another agent, "Even with the kind of firepower you're talking about, there is still no way we could last long against battalion after battalion of angry Gardevoirs."

"That's where this comes in," said Dr. Namwen as he produced a strange, shoulder-mountable cannon, "This is a Capture Cannon Mark II. As you may have heard, the first capture cannons self-destructed after a Gardevoir hacked into the systems back at what was once the Gardev facility. The old cannons could only carry so many Pokémon, but these new models don't have that problem."

"Pardon me for asking, but how do these things work?" asked yet another agent.

"These are teleporter cannons, in a way. The beams they fire will not only defeat any possible Pokémon-generated barriers, but the beams will also instantly teleport your target into a giant, fortified holding room in this facility. Your goal is simply to capture every Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir you find. Meanwhile, other agents will surround and occupy the town of Gardev to prevent anyone from calling for help. Those agents will also be responsible for the capture of the current Guardians of Gardev," explained Dr. Namwen.

"Okay, we now know that much," said another agent with anxiety, "But still, I've heard that Gardevoirs are fiercely protective of their mates and, most importantly, their offspring. How are we going to deal with several thousand protective parents?"

"Simply blast them with the new capture cannons before they can react; however, if you detect any hint of resistance, simply threaten their offspring with lethal force," explained Dr. Namwen, "Then, they should cooperate."

"In other words?" asked yet another agent.

"Just point your rifles at the little blighters!" shouted Dr. Namwen with great impatience, "But under no circumstances are you to kill or even injure any Ralts, Kirlia or Gardevoir. If other Pokémon try to interfere, then you may annihilate them. The Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoirs are your goal."

"Got it!" said an agent.

"This'll be a piece of cake," replied another agent.

"Just one more warning," said Dr. Namwen with concern, "Do not, I repeat, do not engage the Guardians in combat! Even with your advanced weapons and defense systems, you will be no match for them. Plus, if you injure any of them and our captured Gardevoirs get word of it, we'll be dealing with a monumental riot! The Guardians are almost like royalty to the rest of the Gardevoirs and are greatly honored and respected."

"And how will we be able to tell them apart from the rest of the Gardevoir?" asked yet another agent.

"Simple. The Guardians will be wearing ruby and sapphire pendants. Only in a worst-case scenario would you find the Guardians anyway. They tend to stay around the town of Gardev. Now then, are you all ready?" asked Dr. Namwen with excitement.

"Yes, sir!" replied the group of agents in unison.

"Then let's begin," replied Dr. Namwen, "You, Captain David, as I said before, will the first. Please come with me so we can get started." Dr. Namwen figured everything would be ready in less than two days. Perhaps he would even be able to recover XD002 before the raid on the Gardevoir city.


	4. Section 4

**-7-**

Xavier awoke on the balcony outside of Mack and Aura's room. He stretched out his wings and let out a loud yawn. The tournament was still a few hours away, but this didn't matter to Xavier very much since he would not be fighting this time. Still, he figured Fredrick, Sakura and especially Mack and Aura would be able to outmuscle anyone in the competition. As Xavier waited for his drowsiness to wear off, Mack and Aura were getting ready for the day.

"Perhaps we should wear something else to the tournament," suggested Mack as he put his right hand on the skirt of his wedding dress.

"And why would we want to do that? It's still our honeymoon," replied Aura, smiling as she carefully straightened her diamond tiara, "You know the tradition."

"Still, aren't these dresses going to get in the way? I really think our Gardevoir gowns would be a wiser choice," said Mack. Aura turned around, stood up and walked towards Mack. Aura smiled at Mack and before he could utter another word, Aura jumped into the air. Mack watched with disbelief as Aura pulled off one acrobatic move after another: jumping off the walls, doing back-flips and all of this while wearing her wedding dress. Seconds later, Aura landed in front of Mack on one knee. Aura grinned at Mack as she gracefully bowed.

"How did you do that?" asked Mack with surprise. Aura's tiara had not flown out of her hair, nor had any of her other jewelry even come loose.

"Even on our honeymoon, we still may have to defend ourselves," said Aura as she stood back up, "Aurora likes to prepare for anything, even if her newlywed daughter had to be able to move quickly in her wedding attire. Yours also will not restrict your movement."

"You've proven your point!" laughed Mack, still amazed at Aura's acrobatic performance.

"Besides," said Aura with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Mack, "I want to go to this tournament in style. I think everyone should get see my mate in all his beautiful splendor." Mack hugged Aura and blushed, wondering how people in the stadium might react to his…clothing.

"The things I do to keep you happy…" said Mack sweetly as he kissed Aura. Before long, Mack and Aura's friends had gathered in the hotel lobby. Oddly enough, the entire hotel seemed to be deserted. The time was now 8:15 AM and only Mr. Allens seemed to be out and about.

"Where is everyone?" asked Anna as Mr. Allens walked up to the group of Pokémon, "There's no one else in here."

"They all went to the tournament," replied Mr. Allens, "People like to get there early. Believe me, the stadium seating is sold very fast and the lines can get quite long. After all, this tournament is certainly one of the biggest in the entire Gardev region."

"Huh?" said Sakura with confusion, "Why is this region named after a small village?"

"Simple, Gardev was known for some of the finest wines in the world," explained Mr. Allens, "That's why the village was founded nearly a thousand years ago. Plus, most people here know about the legends of the hidden Gardevoir city as well as the Guardians of Gardev. Of course, this region is also famous for the local, large population of Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts."

"Are we still going to get to watch the fights?" asked William with excitement.

"Of course!" laughed Mr. Allens, "You and all your friends will have box seats with me, near the field. There should even be enough room for Xavier."

"That's good," said Xavier as he poked his head through the front doors of the lobby, "There's no way I'm going to hover over the stadium for several hours." Just then, Mack and Aura walked into the lobby, hand-in-hand.

"Ah!" said Mr. Allens as he faced the two Gardevoir lovers, "I trust the happy couple slept well?"

"Indeed," said Mack happily as he glanced at Aura.

"We're ready to go to the stadium now," said William.

"Excellent. Did you get that black suitcase from the S-5, William?" asked Mack.

"You bet!" replied William as he dragged the suitcase across the floor to Mack. Mack let go of Aura's hand, bent over, opened the suitcase and then threw a small pile of clothing onto a nearby bench.

"Now, just to be sure, who wants to be our trainer today?" asked Aura.

"I will!" said Anna with delight, "How about you, Enrique?"

"No thank you," replied Enrique, "I'm too nervous to go out and be seen by thousands of people. If you don't mind, I would just like to watch the tournament from the seats."

"In that case, I'll go with Anna," said Li.

"Okay, then," said Mack as he carried some of the clothing over to Li.

"I'll ride on your shoulders, Li!" said Anna with happiness as she leapt onto Li's shoulders.

"Good thing you're so light," said Li, "Otherwise, I don't think I would be able to carry you for very long." Mr. Allens and the other Pokémon watched as Mack dressed the young Kirlia and Mawile in a black-hooded trench coat, a black fedora and a pair of round, dark sunglasses. Anna giggled as Mack gently pulled the hood over her head. Mack then stood back as everyone gazed at the new "Trainer."

"Except for sticking out like sore thumb and being only four and a half feet tall, this should work out just fine," chuckled William.

"I think we look cool!" giggled Anna.

"I think Li had better do the talking this time," giggled Sakura, "Or people will REALLY be suspicious of you."

"There shouldn't be any problem," said Mr. Allens, "The tournament officials know I'm bringing several guests of honor and they are well aware that one of my guests will be entering the tournament."

"Do we have a battle plan of some sort?" asked Fredrick.

"Indeed we do," said Mack as he faced Fredrick, "The plan is simple: you and Sakura will be the first ones out on the field. Anna and Li will be acting as your trainer, but you should both still use whatever moves you think are needed to defeat your opponents. If we think there is something you both can't handle, like powerful Dark-Type Pokémon, than Aura and I will step in."

"So, me and Fredrick get to do most of the fighting?" asked Sakura with glee.

"That's the idea," answered Mack.

"You know each other very well, so teamwork should feel as natural to you as dancing," said Aura.

"Hmmm…" said Fredrick with a smile as he held Sakura close, "We always were a great team when it came to dancing."

"Good," said Mr. Allens, "Everything seems to be set, but still: Mack, Aura, do you two really intend to do battle in those delicate wedding dresses?"

"Its Gardevoir tradition to wear our wedding attire during our honeymoon," said Aura as she grinned at Mack, "Besides, my handsome mate looks his cutest in white, shimmering satin." Mack laughed nervously as Aura held his hand.

"Can't argue with tradition," said Mack, "We'll be fine."

"Who am I to argue with my honored guests?" said Mr. Allens with a shrug, "Let's be off then!" With that, Mr. Allens and the group of Pokémon started on their way to the stadium. Xavier flew overhead, staying clear of the skyscrapers. Except for a few police officers patrolling the streets, Alakaz seemed to be utterly deserted. As Mack walked down the street, holding Aura's hand, he wondered what Simon was up too.

"I wonder why Simon didn't want to come with us?" asked Mack to Aura.

"I can only imagine," replied Aura with a smile, "But no matter where he is, I'll bet he's out there either tracking down or battling the world's strongest Pokémon."

**-8-**

Dr. Namwen stood in his lab, staring at Cecil. His six dark Alakazams stood closely behind the madman.

"Isn't it funny?" asked Dr. Namwen, "All these years I've had to put up with you, following all of your commands. Now, YOU will do everything I say without complaint and without mercy." Cecil said nothing and did not respond in any way.

"Then again, why am I talking to you?!" laughed Dr. Namwen maniacally, "You don't have even a microscopic clue about what's going on around you!" Suddenly a Cipher trooper rushed into Dr. Namwen's gigantic laboratory.

"Sir! I have some terrible news for you!" said the trooper, panting with exhaustion.

"Can't this wait until later?" asked an irritated Dr. Namwen, "I'm busy gazing at my new prize."

"It's about XD003 and XD004!" said the trooper frantically. Dr. Namwen's smile quickly vanished.

"What about them…?" growled Dr. Namwen.

"XD003, the Gyarados, went berserk and managed to escape our facility north of Alakaz a few hours ago. Our troops pursued it for several miles but lost track of it about fifteen minutes ago," reported the trooper.

"And I suppose XD004 has also escaped, am I right?!" shouted Dr. Namwen with rage.

"Yes, sir…" replied the trooper with fear.

"That Pokémon was Cecil's Onix!" thundered Dr. Namwen, "That Onix was the most powerful one I've ever seen and now it's lost! What happened?! Speak, you peon!"

"Well, they followed your orders to the letter," said the trooper, trying not to shake from shear terror, "They evolved it into a Steelix and then hastily turned it into a Shadow Pokémon. Your orders were for the science team to work as quickly as possible on XD003 and XD004. They don't know what happened, but both of them went crazy and leveled the facility. So far, at least the recovery crews have not reported any injuries or fatalities, sir."

"Looks like my theories and calculations on creating XD series Shadow Pokémon in a few minutes were faulty after all," grumbled Dr. Namwen.

"At least no lives were lost," said the trooper, trying to reassure Dr. Namwen.

"That facility was the only place where we could create the XD series Shadow Pokémon!!" screamed Dr. Namwen, "Now Cipher's greatest weapons can no longer be produced and three of the four are missing!"

"I do have good news, sir," said the trooper as he stepped back from Dr. Namwen, "The Omegalings have all awakened and are ready to begin training." Dr. Namwen's anger immediately disappeared. He faced the young trooper and grinned.

"Most excellent!" said Dr. Namwen with delight, "Have them outfitted and ready within the next 36 hours."

"It will be done, sir!" said the trooper as he saluted Dr. Namwen and left the room. Soon the trooper spotted one of his friends as he stood guard over the main control room of the monstrous facility.

"Have you heard the latest?" asked the guard quietly.

"Heard what?" asked the trooper.

"Apparently, some kid managed to locate one of our bases in the Orre region," whispered the guard, "And get this, the kid managed to defeat one of our top administrators. On top of that, he was able to snatch Dr. Krane away from us. From what Redsix told me, none of our peers were able to get any information from Dr. Krane concerning his latest invention."

"You mean the chamber that can purify Shadow Pokémon?" asked the trooper, "And isn't Redsix one of those bumbling Hexagon Brothers?"

"Yes, but I trust his word," said the guard with fear, "Besides, if the rest of our friends in the Orre region don't get their heads on straight soon, we may be headed for a fall ourselves, just like Team Rocket!"

"Hard to believe a single kid could have taken them down so easily so many years ago," said the trooper.

"Don't forget that traitor who caused Cipher and Team Snagem to fall ten years ago," said the guard quietly as the trooper returned to his post. The trooper was fearful of what might happen to Cipher in the coming days if the groups in the Orre region were unsuccessful.

**-9-**

The time was now 9:45 AM in Alakaz and soon, the tournament would begin. Against all odds, Anna and Li were able to pass themselves off as a great trainer and were able to enter Mack, Aura, Fredrick and Sakura as their Pokémon at 9:30. Though the official was, at first, suspicious of Mack and Aura because of their wedding attire, the official let them in and wished them luck. Before long, they learned that they would be participating in the first battle of the tournament. Mack was sitting on a bench in a locker room with his arms wrapped around Aura as she sat on his lap.

"I still can't believe that we fooled the officials!" said Anna with quiet giggling.

"That was just the first step," said Li, "Now we have to try and battle our way to the top."

"Remember, Fredrick, you and Sakura will be doing most of the fighting," said Mack, "You two could use the experience the most and it would be unfair for me and Aura to level every opponent with one shot."

"We already draw enough attention," said Aura, noticing how other trainers kept staring at her and Mack, "No one has to know just how powerful we are unless you and Sakura come up against a Pokémon that you can't handle."

"I understand," said Fredrick with a smile, "Besides, I think this will be fun."

"Just think," said Sakura with excitement as she held Fredrick's hand, "For the first time in our lives, we're going to be doing something fun together besides dancing!"

"Granted, I sure do like to dance with you…" said Fredrick softly as Sakura giggled.

"I think my younger brother is going to be married before long," whispered Aura to Mack.

"What ever could have given you that idea?" said Mack with a grin as he kissed Aura. Soon, another official approached Anna and Li, still under their disguise.

"Excuse me, Mr. Smith," said the official politely, "But your first battle is going to begin soon."

"Ah. Of course," said Li from under the trench coat, "Let's go, my friends. I know you won't let me down." As they started to leave, the official called out to them.

"Excuse me, but aren't you going to call your Pokémon back to their Pokéballs?" asked the official with curiosity.

"Please," said Li, "These Gardevoirs are my dearest friends. None of them have ever seen the inside of a Pokéball and they never will as long as they are in my care."

"I can understand that," said the official as he pointed at Mack and Aura, "But why are you going to have those two Gardevoir fight while wearing wedding dresses and fine jewelry?"

"Look," said Li impatiently, "These two Gardevoirs have chosen each other as mates. I prefer to treat my Pokémon very well. They were married less than two weeks ago. Besides, they can both still fight very well despite their attire. Perhaps you will get to see my prize fighters in action. Now, would you please be so kind as to take us to the waiting area?"

"Of course, Mr. Smith," said the official, "I do apologize for my questioning, but I have to make sure everyone follows the rules. Please follow me." With that, the official led Anna, Li, Sakura, Fredrick, Mack and Aura to the field. Meanwhile, Xavier, Enrique and William were in the stands, accompanying Mr. Allens. As expected, Xavier was drawing a lot of attention from the people in the crowded stadium.

"Haven't these people ever seen a Lugia before?" asked a bewildered Xavier.

"Lugia still are some of the rarest Pokémon," said Mr. Allens, "So few have ever been seen. Why, I can only recall two other sightings: in the orange islands several years ago and a week or so ago by the crew of the S. S. Libra."

"S. S. Libra?" asked Xavier.

"It was a cargo ship, but it vanished more than a week ago. The crew described the entire event, saying the ship had been stolen, but officials still aren't sure what to make of it all," explained Mr. Allens.

"Enough of this!" said a thrilled William, "The first battle is going to begin in a few minutes!" Meanwhile, in another part of the stadium, the announcers were getting ready. These famous sportscasters had been reporting the events in the tournaments for decades.

"You all set, Bert?" asked the first announcer.

"Almost Ernie, but for some reason, I still can't get a hold of those people at ONBS," replied Bert, "I was talking to one of the executives, Net, when the line suddenly went silent."

"No worries," said Ernie, "They'll be back up in no time."

"Still, it's quite a pity," said Bert with disappointment, "This tournament has been broadcast on ONBS every year now since that Cipher incident, ten years ago. Nevertheless, I think this tournament is going to be one for the record books!" Suddenly, a tournament official in a blue-pinstriped suit approached Bert and Ernie from behind.

"It's time to begin the broadcast," said the official, "It's almost ten o'clock."

"Just keep your eyes open," said Ernie with a chuckle, "This will be a tournament to remember." They picked up their microphones as a technician switched on the power.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 103rd annual Alakaz Tournament!" said Ernie as he voice echoed throughout the stadium. The crowd screamed and cheered, knowing the battles would be staring anytime now.

"This is Bert and Ernie reporting and no jokes please," said Bert sternly, "Well, we've been unable to contact ONBS in the Orre region; however, the tournament is still going to take place, of course."

"That it will!" said Ernie with enthusiasm, "After all, this is still the largest open tournament in all the surrounding regions!"

"That's right, Ernie! Unlike other regions, like Kanto and Johto, trainers need no badges to participate; however, because we always get such a large turnout, all contestants had to be chosen randomly," explained Bert.

"And we'd like to take the time now to thank everyone who entered, but will not be part of the tournament. Thank you all very much and we hope you'll still enjoy the show!" said Ernie energetically. Back near the field in a dugout, Mack, Aura, Fredrick, Sakura, Fredrick and Li were getting ready for the first battle.

"No one said anything about the trainers being chosen at random," said a perplexed Fredrick.

"Then we should consider ourselves very fortunate to be fighting at all," said Li from under the thick trench coat. Mack and Aura weren't paying any attention to their friends.

"I can't wait until everyone see's us," giggled Aura with delight as she and Mack embraced, "They'll probably think we're the most beautiful Pokémon in the entire city today."

"I'll be glad when the tournament is over, anyway, my love," said Mack quietly as he stroked Aura, "I'm just looking forward to another romantic evening with you." Aura blushed deeply and kissed Mack. Meanwhile, back in the stadium news room, Bert and Ernie were getting prepared to broadcast the first match.

"Okay, everyone, it's now time for the first match of the tournament!" said Ernie.

"Indeed it is, Ernie. The time is now 10:00 AM and we can now get things underway," said Bert as he picked up a nearby clipboard, "Here we go! The first match will be: Mr. Smith versus Karl Anderson! Just to remind everyone, this will be a 4 on 4 double-battle with no time limit! Now, one thing most people don't know about this tournament is the fast pace. Trainers must carefully pace their Pokémon if they want to reach the final round in decent condition."

"That's true, Bert. All too often, we've had some promising hot-shot come in here, win the first few rounds with flying colors, but then he gets cut down early because his Pokémon are just too tired to carry on. You could call this one of the most cutthroat if not the most challenging tournament in the region," explained Ernie.

"I see the first trainers are moving out onto the field," remarked Bert as Karl, a young man in his early 20's stepped out onto the field. Li and Anna carefully shuffled onto the opposite end of the field.

"Ah. Karl won third place last year," said Bert as he carefully read a printout of tournament records.

"But I've never heard of this…Mr. Smith before," said Ernie with skepticism, "All I can tell is that this rather short bloke sticks out like a shark in a bathtub." Anna and Li faced their opponent.

"Good luck to you!" said Karl from across the field, "You're going to need all you can get." With that, Karl threw two Pokéballs into the arena. They opened with a flash, revealing a Venusaur and a Raticate.

"Karl has made the first move and his first Pokémon, a Venusaur named Buzz and a Raticate named Aldrin," said Bert as he put a hand over the microphone as faced Ernie.

"I still don't understand how Karl names his Pokémon," said Bert quietly. Ernie nodded his head in agreement and spoke into his microphone.

"We're still waiting for Mr. Smith to reveal his first two Pokémon," said Bert. Anna moved her right arm and pointed at the center of the field.

"Show time," said Fredrick as he walked onto the field hand-in-hand with Sakura. The crowd cheered as the two young Gardevoirs walked into the arena.

"Let's see here," said Ernie as he feverishly flipped through some more paperwork, "Mr. Smith has sent out a male and female Gardevoir. Their names are Fredrick and Sakura."

"Sakura? I think that's a really cute name for a Gardevoir," remarked Bert.

"No kidding," said Fredrick quietly as he glanced at Sakura. Sakura smiled at him as they released hands and got ready for their first Pokémon battle.

"Let the battle begin!" said Bert as the sound of a loud bell filled the arena.

"Buzz, Solar Beam!" commanded Karl, "Aldrin, keep them busy with Quick Attack!" With that, the massive Venusaur started drawing in sunlight while Aldrin the Raticate, rushed towards Sakura with blinding speed.

"Watch out, Sakura!" said Fredrick as he jumped to the right with his right arm, blazing with an aura of fire.

"Okay!" said Sakura as she quickly dodged out of the way, "I'll take care of Buzz!" Fredrick thrust his fist forward and hit Aldrin square in the face with a Fire Punch. Aldrin immediately closed his eyes and fell to the arena floor.

"You're…pretty tough…" remarked Aldrin weakly, "Maybe you'll have a shot…at the finals…"

"Incredible!" shouted Bert with surprise, "Fredrick knocked out Aldrin with a single punch!"

"Gadzooks!" said an amazed Ernie, "I can only imagine what else that young Gardevoir has up his sleeves." Karl grinned at Fredrick, not paying attention as Sakura thrust her right hand towards Buzz, sending the mighty Venusaur into the air.

"Karl! What are you doing?!" demanded Buzz, "Help me!"

"What the?!" shouted Karl with disbelief as Buzz slammed into the ground.

"What a shocker!" said Bert with excitement.

"Still, it's too bad for Karl. He's made that mistake before," explained Ernie, "He forgot to keep track of his other Pokémon. After all, losing Pokémon early in this tournament is almost always a guarantee of losing later matches. This is why this tournament is considered so cutthroat: once a Pokémon is knocked out it may not fight again for the rest of the tournament."

"Yep, there have been a few years where the final two trainers had nothing left but a single, very tired Pokémon," said Bert, "Those matches tend to be won by the trainer who lands the first hit."

"I'm impressed, Mr. Smith," said Karl with a grin, "Your Gardevoirs are very good fighters."

"Why, thank you!" said Anna as she tried to bow politely. Karl stared at Mr. Smith with a raised eyebrow at the sound of a very young and quite feminine voice.

"Quiet up there!" said Li quietly.

"Oops…" whispered an embarrassed Anna, "Sorry, Li, I won't do it again."

"Are you okay over there? Maybe you should just quit now," said Karl. Mr. Smith let out several loud, dry coughs.

"I'm not ready to…HACK!…give up yet," said Li, "How about you send out the rest of your friends?"

"I shall," said Karl as he called back his fallen comrades and released his last two Pokémon: a Blaziken and a Blastoise. Before Karl could give an order, Sakura giggled, smiled and waved at the Blaziken.

"What is Sakura doing now?" asked Ernie with curiosity.

"I believe she is using, Attract," said Bert, "Some call it a cheap shot, simply because it can render Pokémon of opposite gender useless in a fight."

"Hi there!" said Sakura with a friendly smile. The young Gardevoir instantly got the attention of the Blaziken.

"Wow…" said the Blaziken with awe, "You sure are beautiful…" Karl looked on with disgust as his powerful Fire-Type walked right up to the female Gardevoir.

"Fine…" muttered Karl as he faced his Blastoise, "Kirk, drown the other Gardevoir with Hydropump." Kirk nodded and fired a torrent of water at Fredrick, hitting him squarely and launching him to the back of the arena.

"Wow! What a shot!" commented Bert, "Even if Karl is not the most focused trainer in the world, his Pokémon are still a force to be reckoned with." The Blaziken was still thoroughly infatuated with Sakura as Fredrick got back on his feet.

"My name is Inferno," said the Blaziken as he reached for Sakura's right hand, "It is a pleasure to meet such a wonderful Gardevoir." Inferno knelt and kissed Sakura's hand politely.

"I don't believe this…" said Bert with disgust, "Every time I've seen a Pokémon use Attract, the offending Pokémon typically just doesn't fight back, instead, that powerful Blaziken has fallen completely in love with a Gardevoir." Meanwhile, back on the field, Fredrick was standing up again, glaring at the Blastoise. He got another Thunder Punch ready as he charged at the oversized turtle. Karl just frowned as his last able Pokémon dropped to the ground out cold.

"Come on!" shouted Karl to Inferno, "Attack her!"

"Please…" said Inferno to Sakura, "How could I attack such a delicate flower?"

"Delicate?" asked Sakura with a friendly smile, "Yes. I am a delicate, beautiful flower."

"What are you doing?" asked Fredrick through telepathy.

"Just be patient," replied Sakura, "I'm going to help you. Besides, if I'm going to marry any Pokémon someday, I hope it will be you!" Fredrick blushed nervously as Sakura gently pulled her hand away from Inferno.

"I love you, Sakura…" said Fredrick through telepathy as he watched Sakura and Inferno.

"Would you like to watch me…dance?" asked Sakura.

"I would love to…" said Inferno blissfully. Sakura giggled and started to twirl and dance on her tip-toes.

"This match is a dance recital…" said Bert with disbelief.

"Well, you could say that, but I think that lovely Gardevoir still has a trick or two up her sleeves," said Ernie. Inferno watched Sakura attentively. Soon, Sakura giggled and stared into Inferno's eyes as her own eyes glowed with an eerie, blue light. Moments later, Inferno fell to the ground, almost in a deep sleep.

"Nothing personal, but I still have to defeat you," said Sakura softly.

"Please do, if it will make you happy…" yawned Inferno.

"And for what it's worth, I hope you will still find the mate of your dreams soon, like I have," said Sakura as Inferno smiled at her and closed his eyes.

"Ah," said Ernie, "She used Hypnosis on him. A cheap shot, but it worked." Fredrick walked next to Sakura.

"Well?" asked Sakura, "The battle doesn't end until Inferno runs out of energy. You do need to get your strength up after that nasty blow you took."

"You really mean that you…" stuttered Fredrick, "Would want to marry me?"

"Not for awhile, but yes!" said Sakura with joy, "Now, you need to finish off Inferno here or we'll never get to the next round." Fredrick nodded and faced Inferno as his eyes changed color from red and white to a deep black.

"And that would be Dream Eater," said Bert matter-of-factly. Fredrick felt his energy quickly return to him as Inferno completely blanked out.

"And that's the end of the match!" said Ernie with happiness, "Mr. Smith and his two amazing Gardevoirs have won the match!"

"You're telling me…" grumbled Bert, "That poor Blaziken went from a deep, blissful sleep to a complete coma! I hope we'll get to see some more real action in the next fights." Anna, Li, Sakura and Fredrick walked off the field back into the dugout to find Mack and Aura, embracing and kissing, as usual.

"Honey," said Aura with delight, "They're back…"

"Oh…?" said Mack softly, "Did they win?"

"I think so…" sighed Aura as she kissed Mack, "They're both still conscious…" Mack and Aura grinned at each other and then faced their friends.

"I hope you two didn't zone out the whole time, did you?!" asked Fredrick with shock. Mack and Aura faced each other and laughed.

"Of course we watched your match!" laughed Mack.

"I just had to kiss Mack after you and Sakura won. Especially when you both declared your love for each other," said Aura with a smile as Fredrick and Sakura blushed deeply.

"Ew!" complained Anna as Mack and Aura kissed again, "No more mushy stuff! Please?" Meanwhile, Xavier, William and Enrique had watched the match with great interest.

"I told you they would win, hands down," said Xavier.

"Come on!" said William, "You know Mack and Aura would have been a lot more stylish if they were out there!"

"Please…" said Mr. Allens as he wiped some sweat off his brow with a white handkerchief, "No more bickering. Besides, if the newlyweds had already gone out, I don't think any trainer would want to continue the tournament after seeing their power."

"I know what you mean," said Enrique with laughter, "Still, I couldn't help but laugh at the way Karl stared at Li and Anna when he heard Anna's voice!"

"You think Fredrick and Anna are powerful, wait until you see me fight!" said William with pride, "I could have taken down each of those Pokémon with my eyes closed!"

"Is William really that powerful?" asked Enrique as he marveled at the over-confident Pikachu.

"I do not believe so," said Xavier, "In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, when we were all in Alakaz a few weeks ago, fighting off a horde of Cipher agents and their Pokémon, William was trying to defeat an Ekans by throwing large books at it! Yep! That's some incredible power you've got there."

"Of course!" said William with a smirk, "Knowledge is power! Of course, since that entire facility was made out of metal, if I had used any of my powerful electric attacks in there, we would have all been fried!"

"Still, you could have at least tried something useful, like Swift or Quick Attack," said Xavier, "Those moves would have been more effective than trying top chuck the Encyclopedia Britannica at that giant snake." William blushed from embarrassment.

"I should have thought of that…" said William sheepishly, "Over the years, I've discovered that I tend to make stupid mistakes whenever I'm under a lot of pressure. Years ago, Mack and I almost lost a tournament in the Indigo League because I had panicked and was trying to gnaw on an Onix. If he had left Maria at home we surely would have been defeated."

"Ah," said Xavier with interest, "But, who is Maria?"

"That was the name of Mack's female Gardevoir," replied William, "You should ask him about her sometime. He knows a lot more about Maria than I do."


	5. Section 5

**-10-**

Back in Gardev, Glacian was meditating on a rug in Warren's office. He opened his eyes and looked up at Warren as he carefully read and signed papers.

"Fredrick and Sakura have won their first battle," said Glacian. Warren almost let his pen fly out of his hand and through a nearby window.

"Well!" said Warren as he tried to regain his composure, "I'm sure Alexander and Aurora would love to hear that!"

"Indeed," said Glacian, "But those two young Gardevoirs have won far more than a simple battle."

"Oh?" said Warren with confusion, "And what else have they won? A new car, perhaps? I don't know why I continue to put up with your constant vagueness and ambiguity."

"If I just told you, you would probably not be as excited or surprised," said Glacian with a grin, "Besides, old friend, you know I would never do anything or say anything to hurt you."

"Okay," said Warren as he put his pen back in its sheath, "Still, what else did those young Gardevoirs win?"

"Each other's hearts," said Glacian with a smile as Warren went slack-jawed, "Ah. Young love. It's something I'll never forget as long as I live." Jake then walked into the office.

"Am I interrupting anything?" asked Jake.

"Of course not," said Warren.

"We were just talking about you," said Glacian. Jake seemed stunned and bewildered.

"If it's about the shotgun shells in your woodstove I can explain!" said Jake in an uneasy tone.

"No need to," said Warren, "How about you go on home and spend the day with your wife, Makoto and your little daughter, Sakura? It is a lovely day for a picnic."

"Really?" said Jake with glee, "Okay! Thanks, Warren!" Jake ran out of the office: Warren and Glacian could hear him thundering down the hallway and out the door.

"Did he mention something about ammunition in my woodstove?" asked Warren with disbelief.

"Yes…" said Glacian, "For some reason, he thought that would be an ideal place to keep twelve gauge shells."

"And to think I want to leave him in charge of Gardev when I pass on," said Warren with a smile.

"He's a lot like you were when you were young," said Glacian with a chuckle, "Nevertheless, you've done a splendid job keeping my city safe from greedy humans."

"Anyway, I wonder when we can expect another grand Gardevoir wedding," said Warren.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Glacian with delight, "I can still remember the way Gloria looked at me as she walked down the aisle in all her wedding splendor…"

"Sometimes, I wish I could have met her," said Warren. 

"Yes," said Glacian with happiness, "She would have taken quite a liking to you quicker than you can say 'Hello' just by looking at you."

**-11-**

The tournament had continued on throughout the day. The fighting had been fast and fierce. Now, several hours later, the final round was about to begin. Mr. Allens had been watching the battles with excitement, not just because of the grand fights, but because Anna and Li's team had advanced to the finals. Still, something was bothering Mr. Allens: another unknown trainer, going by the name of Dr. Jones had also climbed his way to the final round almost as methodically and quickly as Anna and Li's friends. Also, just like Anna and Li, Dr. Jones still had not revealed his final two Pokémon. To top that of, Dr. Jones also seemed to hide under a hooded trench coat, dark glasses and an old-fashioned hat.

"Can't say I've ever seen a tournament quite like this," said Mr. Allens, "Two trainers taking out the competition one round at a time without any loses, only to wind up in the final match. That's never happened before."

"I rather like his Sableye, Gremlin," said William, "He's kind of mischievous, like I am."

"Or try to be," laughed Xavier, "Anyway, Dr. Jones' Umbreon, Nox, has proven to be a very worthy opponent. Still, I don't know how Fredrick and Sakura are going to fair against two powerful Dark-Type Pokémon."

"I'd rather just watch Anna," sighed Enrique, "Too bad she has to hide under that trench coat…"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you liked Anna quite a bit," said William with a fiendish grin.

"Of course I do," said Enrique blissfully, "We're both actually quite old for Kirlia. I'm surprised neither of us has become a Gardevoir yet."

"Is that so?" asked William, "Tell me, how long have you known each other?"

"Since we started school," replied Enrique, "All the other Kirlia tended to stay away from Anna because of her short temper; however, I decided to try and get to know her better. She's actually a very nice Kirlia. When she dances with me, it's like poetry…absolutely perfect every time…"

"Enrique loves Anna! Enrique loves Anna!" taunted William.

"That'll be quite enough…" grumbled Xavier as he snatched William's bag of popcorn.

"Hey! Give that back!" snarled William.

"Only if you promise to quiet down this instant," said Xavier, "The final match is about to begin and I don't want to miss any of it."

"You too, eh?" said Enrique. Meanwhile, Mack, Aura, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna and Li were discussing a new plan from the dugout.

"I don't know what else this guy has up his sleeves," said Mack, "But you, Fredrick and Sakura, should still go out onto the field first, like you both have so far. Perhaps Dr. Jones will release his other Pokémon first."

"You two may be very strong, but you still would have a very rough time against Dark-Types," cautioned Aura.

"So, what should me and Li do?" asked Anna.

"You and Li will call Fredrick and Sakura back to the dugout if things get out of hand. At that point, Aura and I will make our entrance," said Mack.

"I hope so," said Aura with a smile as she stared at Mack, "I want everyone to see how pretty you are." Mack groaned.

"You're still going on about that?" asked Mack with despair.

"Of course," giggled Aura as she kissed Mack, once again. Soon, another tournament official stood before Li and Anna.

"The next match is about to begin, Mr. Smith," said the official, "Please take your position on the field."

"Thank you, kind sir," said Li as he and Sakura walked towards the field with Fredrick and Sakura right behind them. The mysterious trainer, Dr. Jones walked onto the field as well as the crowd roared and cheered loudly.

"And now, it all boils down to this," said Bert as the trainers got onto the field positions.

"Yes, folks, it's been quite a tournament," said Ernie with glee, "It's now 7:13 PM and the final match is going to begin shortly, but first, how about we reflect on all the fights so far?"

"Indeed, Ernie," said Bert, "But first, I want to thank everyone who participated in this year's tournament. Thank you for joining us and, of course, you can always try again next year."

"If it's any consolation," said Ernie, "Former champions can never enter this tournament a second time. So next year, no one should have to deal with odd trainers and incredibly powerful Pokémon like this again." On the field, the two trainers said nothing.

"We now have Mr. Smith and his grand Gardevoirs versus Dr. Jones with his devious Dark-Types in the final round. Let the match begin!" shouted Bert as the sound of a loud bell once again filled the arena. Anna pointed to the field as Fredrick and Sakura walked into their positions, hand-in-hand. Dr. Jones nodded his head, and then he released his first two Pokémon. Fredrick and Sakura sighed when they saw a familiar Sableye and Umbreon appear on the field in a flash of light.

"You may as well give up now," said Nox.

"Yeah!" cackled Gremlin, "You two Psychic-Types are no match for us!"

"Withdraw," said Dr. Jones to the young Gardevoir couple, "You aren't the one's I really want to fight anyway."

"I don't think we can take them," said Sakura softly to Fredrick, "Our strongest attacks won't even faze them."

"Then its time we sent out our secret weapons," said Fredrick. Anna quickly pointed to the dugout as Fredrick and Sakura walked off the field.

"Oh? Mr. Smith is changing Pokémon already?" asked a bewildered Bert.

"That is still a wise move," said Ernie, "Even a Gardevoir is at a significant disadvantage against a Dark-Type, even when armed with such powerful attacks." As Fredrick and Sakura entered the dugout, the crowd quieted down with anticipation, wondering what Pokémon would be set out by Mr. Smith.

"It's time then," said Mack as he held Aura's hand tightly.

"Yes," said Aura with soft laughter, "Time to make a spectacle of ourselves." As they stared to leave the dugout, Bert and Ernie got some good news from the Orre region.

"Hey! This just in ladies and gentlemen!" said Ernie with relief, "We just reestablished contact with ONBS. They're going to get to broadcast the final match."

"According to what information we received, ONBS was stormed by mysterious bandits. We don't know any other details, except that a young boy defeated them all single-handedly," said Ernie as he saw a couple forms leaving the dugout, "Speaking of which, here comes Mr. Smith's other Pokémon and…GADZOOKS!!!" The crowd cheered even louder as two Gardevoirs, adorned in wedding dresses, entered onto the field.

"What do you make of that?!" shouted Bert.

"I don't know!" replied Ernie as he hastily flipped through some pages on a nearby clipboard, "Here we go! The two Pokémon are a male Gardevoir named Mack and a female Gardevoir named Aura."

"Aura, huh?" said Bert, "That's another pretty name for a Gardevoir."

"On the other hand, Mack seems like an odd name for a Gardevoir," said Ernie, "I just don't understand why those two are dressed the way they are."

"Perhaps Mack and Aura are Mr. Smith's prized fighters?" suggested Bert, "Just look at them! Take a gander at those beautiful pendants! I've never seen such a fine red ruby or a deep blue sapphire of that size before!"

"That's some of the finest gold I've ever seen myself," said Ernie as he peered through some binoculars, "Just look at Aura's jewelry: I can't remember the last time I've seen so many diamonds in one place!" Bert scratched his head for awhile and then an idea finally dawned on him.

"Let's check those records again, folks," said Bert as he quickly flipped through the pages on the clipboard, "Here we go! The information provided by the trainer says that these two Gardevoirs were married about eight days ago."

"Sheesh," said Ernie, "Those beautiful white dresses should have been a dead giveaway. Look at the way their dresses shimmer."

"Not to mention how Aura's dress sparkles in the light as well as the bright luster of her diamond earrings, bracelets and tiara," remarked Bert, "Her lace headdress flows enchantingly in the breeze. That Mr. Smith really knows how to treat his Pokémon." Back on the field, Mack gazed at Aura and smiled at her. The stadium lighting made Aura's dress shimmer and sparkle brighter than on their wedding day. Her diamond jewelry shone with incredible luster. Mack wished it was all a dream and he would wake up in bed with her at his side at any moment.

"I really wish Bert and Ernie would say something enchanting about you that I don't already know…" said Mack softly. Aura giggled and smiled at her loving mate.

"I can only imagine how much he spent on all that," said Ernie, "Such fine dresses and jewelry would be worth more than what both of us made last year doing radio and television combined!"

"On the other hand, despite being very beautiful, I think such attire is going to be a serious handicap to the young Gardevoir couple," said Bert. Mack faced the announcers' booth and frowned.

"Thanks a lot, you killjoy…" muttered Mack.

"They have no idea what's about to happen, Mack," said Aura with gentle laughter, "I think Bert is going to eat his words in a matter of minutes, anyway." Bert soon noticed the male Gardevoir as it frowned at him. Bert once again covered the microphone with his hand.

"You think I upset that Gardevoir?" asked a surprised Bert. Ernie shrugged, not sure how to answer his old friend. Bert quickly regained his composure and gazed skeptically at the pair of married Gardevoir.

"Nevertheless, this still seems like a bad strategy," said Bert ominously, "Those two Dark-Types still have a considerable advantage over the two Gardevoirs. Their only hope is that they are stronger than Dr. Jones active Pokémon." In the meantime, Xavier, William, Enrique and Mr. Allens closely watched Mack and Aura from their seats.

"Now the real fireworks are going to begin," said Mr. Allens with excitement.

"I just hope they'll be alright," said Enrique.

"They'll do just fine," said Xavier, "Trust me."

"I hope so," replied Enrique, "It would be a shame for them to get beaten down while in their wedding attire." Mack and Aura released their hands and got ready for the final match.

"Ah," said Dr. Jones with an unseen smile, "At last I have both of you right where I want you."

"Get ready, Aura," said Mack quietly, "I'll watch your back."

"Why don't we just let them have it?" asked Aura with a fiendish smile, "I think we've kept our power a secret for long enough."

"Enough stalling," said Dr. Jones impatiently, "Gremlin! Nox! Get them!" With the trainer's command, the two dark Pokémon charged at Mack and Aura.

"Here we go!" shouted Mack as he started running towards the offending Pokémon with Aura at his side. Mack was amazed at just how quickly he could move in his wedding attire.

"Gremlin: use Confuse Ray!" ordered Dr. Jones. Gremlin responded by grinning at Aura and getting ready to unleash his attack, but before Gremlin could make another move, Mack quickly thrust his right hand forward and fired a beam of blinding light, directly at Gremlin.

"Ouch…" said Gremlin as he spun in circles from the attack. He stopped spinning and inadvertently unleashed Confuse Ray on Mr. Smith. Li tried as best as he could to keep him and Anna from toppling.

"Whoa…" said a dizzy Anna, "I feel funky…"

"Snap out of it, Anna!" shouted Li with fear, "If you keep teetering back and forth like this, we'll both fall to the ground." In all their years, Bert and Ernie had never seen anything quite like this: Mr. Smith wandering on the field in a daze while his Pokémon continued their onslaught.

"I can't say I've ever witnessed something like this," said Ernie with surprise, "A trainer gets hit with a misfired attack move and his Pokémon just keep on going."

"He must really have faith in his Pokémon," said Bert as he watched the battle unfold through his binoculars, "But I've also never seen a Pokémon use light as an attack." Bert gazed at one of the Gardevoir as it was hit with a Faint Attack. Unbelievably, the Gardevoir kept going without flinching.

"These Gardevoirs are two of a kind and are unlike any I've ever seen in my entire life!" commented Ernie, "Dark-Type moves are completely useless against them!"

"Whereas the Gardevoirs' attacks are like kryptonite to Dr. Jones Umbreon and Sableye," quipped Bert as Gremlin was hit with another blast of light.

"How are you doing over there, Aura?" asked Mack as he rushed towards Nox with his arm glowing with white light.

"I can't complain!" said Aura as she blasted Gremlin once again, "I was almost afraid we would stomp these guys without any real effort." Mr. Allens and his Pokémon guests were cheering on Mack and Aura while Fredrick and Sakura sat on the sidelines.

"That's my sister!" laughed Fredrick as Aura blasted Nox with yet another beam of explosive light.

"Go get 'em, you two lovebirds!" shouted Sakura with excitement as Mack slammed Nox with another Light Punch.

"I think they've just about had enough," said Mack as Nox and Gremlin fell to the arena floor.

"Let's finish them off, then!" said Aura while Nox and Gremlin struggled to get back on their feet.

"It's Game Over for those two," said William as he munched on some popcorn.

"It's too early to celebrate now," said Mr. Allens, "Mack and Aura will still need to defeat Dr. Jones' last two Pokémon and no one has seem them yet."

"Hey! What are they doing now?" asked Xavier. Mack and Aura were standing side-by-side as they slowly started to lift off the ground. Mack's and Aura's skirts started to flutter from a strange breeze while Aura's lace headdress seemed to flow from the wind. The crowd watched with awe as the two Gardevoir became covered with bubbles of light. Moments later, the light bubbles exploded outward, lighting up the entire arena with a blinding flash.

"Then again," said Mr. Allens as he shielded his eyes, "Maybe I don't have to worry about Mack and Aura after all!" The light quickly faded. Mack and Aura were back on the ground. Gremlin and Nox were not moving. They were lying on the ground, knocked out from the gigantic blast of light.

"It's times like this…that make me wish I had gone for…that Fire Stone…instead…" grumbled Nox weakly.

"Gremlin, Nox, return," said Dr. Jones as he called his fallen friends back to their Pokéballs, "You fought well. I'll make sure your loss was not in vain." Meanwhile, Anna had finally come to her senses and she and Li had managed to get back to the trainer's box on the field.

"What else do you have up your sleeve, Dr. Jones?" asked Li from under his disguise, "Whatever it is, your next Pokémon had better be more of a challenge than your Umbreon and Sableye."

"Indeed, Mr. Smith," said Dr. Jones, "My next Pokémon are some of the most powerful on earth. I doubt the Guardians will have much of a chance against us." Dr. Jones threw a lone Pokéball onto the field. Moments later, a bright flash lit up the field. The light faded, revealing a Ho-oh.

"I could swear Dr. Jones had at least two Pokémon left…" said Bert as he once again sifted through the records on the clipboard.

"Here it is," said Ernie, "Dr. Jones also has a Kabutops named Simon."

"Simon?!" shouted Xavier, William and Mr. Allens in unison.

"It can't be," said Xavier, "Simon said he had other business to attend to."

"Maybe someone managed to catch him?" asked William. Back on the field, Mack finally figured out what was going on.

"Wait. You called us Guardians," said Mack as he faced Dr. Jones, "Just who are you?"

"You're not working with Cipher, are you?!" demanded Aura with anger.

"Please, my friends…" said Dr. Jones, "You know very well that I would never join those outlaws."

"Then who are you?" demanded Mack. Dr. Jones responded by removing his trench coat, dark glass and his hat all at once. The people in the audience gasped.

"Simon?" asked Mack to the familiar Kabutops.

"Of course it's me," said Simon with a grin, "Now I have you and Aura right where I want you. I've wanted to challenge the Guardians of Gardev to a battle for a long time, so now's as good a time as any to see who's the strongest."

"What a shocker!" said Bert, "But can a Pokémon legally enter this tournament as a trainer? I don't think so!"

"You've always been too hasty, Bert," said Ernie as he quickly read through a league rulebook, "According to the official rules, the word 'Trainer' is not defined as a human; therefore, a Pokémon could enter this tournament with a team of other Pokémon at his side. Granted, this has never been witnessed before."

"This is my dearest and most powerful friend, Phoenix," said Simon as he pointed to the Ho-oh while it flapped its wings to stay off the ground, "Now; we will see who the most powerful Pokémon at this tournament really are!" With that, Simon and Phoenix charged at Mack and Aura.

"Aura," said Mack through telepathy, "Phoenix is faster than Simon, we need to take him out first!"

"Already on it," thought Aura as she thrust both of her hands forward and fired a beam of psychic energy at Phoenix. Phoenix screeched and dove out of the way of the Psybeam. Before Aura could react, the mighty bird slammed into Aura's torso head first, knocking her to the ground.

"Aura!" shouted Mack as his mate fell to the ground.

"I would be more worried about yourself at this point, Mack," said Simon as he leapt forward and landed a crushing blow on Mack's torso with the blunt edges of his claws.

"That Kabutops sure is brave," said Ernie.

"They're both quite powerful, too," remarked Bert, "Mr. Smith had better think quickly or his well-adorned, prize fighters are going to fall very quickly."

"Okay…" snarled Aura, "I'm through playing around."

"Agreed!" growled Mack as they both jumped back onto their feet. Simon took a few steps back as the ruby and sapphire pendants started to glow brightly. Mack and Aura's eyes were now radiating a bright, white light.

"Are they trying to make it so easy for me to hit them? Very well then," said Phoenix as he dove at the Gardevoir lovers with supersonic speed.

"No!" shouted Simon, "Stay away from them and brace yourself for a powerful attack!" Phoenix didn't hear Simon's warning as he came screaming down upon Mack and Aura. Mack and Aura turned their gaze towards Phoenix as the giant Ho-oh became enshrouded with a mysterious blue and purple aura.

"Too late…" muttered Simon as Phoenix came to a screeching halt, just a matter of yards from his targets. Aura grinned at Phoenix, before she and Mack launched him into the air. Simon watched, dumbfounded as Phoenix was repeatedly sent flying high into the air and then crashing into the ground from the Guardians' psychic attack.

"Now that is one powerful dose of Psychic!" said Ernie with triumph as Phoenix slammed into the ground once again.

"Still, will it be enough to fell such a powerful, rare Pokémon?" asked Bert. Moments later, Bert got his answer as Phoenix flopped onto the field after Mack and Aura released him from their psychic grip. Mack quickly dusted himself off as Aura shook the dust off her dress.

"You're still not finished with me," said Simon as he readied himself for another attack.

"Bring it on!" shouted Aura as her right arm started to erupt with electricity. Mack followed suit and also got a Thunder Punch ready. Simon crossed his arms, unfazed as Mack and Aura came charging towards him from the other end of the field. Simon gazed at the approaching Guardians, trying to quickly single out a target. His eyes soon fell on Mack.

"You know I'm not going to just give up," said Simon gruffly, "Let's see how well you two handle me." Simon charged forward towards Mack. Mack readied himself as he got ready to land a devastating punch on Simon. Mack thrust his fist forward, expecting to land a direct hit. Simon, reflexively, brought his claws forward and pinched Mack's wrist between them. Simon grinned at Mack as he pulled him off his feet and then threw him to the ground, knocking the air out of Mack. As Mack coughed and wheezed, trying to catch his breath, Simon turned his attention to Aura as she ran up to assist her mate.

"You leave Mack alone!" shouted Aura as she charged at Simon, putting more energy into her Thunder Punch. Simon ran towards Aura with incredible speed. The old Kabutops got his claws into position as he prepared to unleash Rock Smash. He angled his claws just right as he approached Aura so he would strike with the blunt edges. Aura, sensing danger, quickly ducked down as Simon swung his claws with tremendous force, clipping Aura's tiara, plucking it out if her hair and launching the piece of fine jewelry into the middle of the field. Aura looked up at Simon and smiled right before she hit Simon squarely in his upper torso with a brutal Thunder Punch, knocking him back. Simon staggered about, reeling from Aura's electrical attack.

"You're a lot better than I thought you would be," said Simon with a grin as he regained his composure, "Good!" Mack, having finally caught his breath, ran at Simon from behind, ready to send a blast of light through him. Simon glanced over his shoulder and quickly noticed the approaching attacker. Simon jumped into the air, doing a back-flip. Mack watched with disbelief as Simon flew over him, landed on his feet and then thrust his claws under Mack's arms.

"Hey!" shouted Mack with surprise as Simon held him close, immobilizing him.

"Time to end this round for you," said Simon as he leapt high into the air.

"Now what is that Kabutops up to?" asked Bert.

"I would say…" said Ernie as he observed Simon, "Seismic toss. Though I don't understand why he would use such an attack. Psychic Types don't take much damage from Fighting Type moves."

"Still, if Simon is strong enough, he may still deal enough damage to knock Mack out of the competition," remarked Bert. Simon continued his ascent, ready to throw Mack to the ground with great force. Just then, Simon glanced down and saw Aura take to the air, using her psychic power to fly up after him.

"I'll deal with you later," said Simon as he released Mack. As Mack focused his power and gently descended back to the ground Simon soared towards Aura with his feet down, ready to deliver a devastating Mega Kick.

"Oh dear!" said Ernie with shock, "This could get ugly!"

"If Aura gets hit with that Mega Kick, it could be all over for her," said Bert. Simon thrust his feet forward, just yards from his target. Aura, however, clenched her fist and continued on course, delivering a fierce uppercut to Simon's chin, knocking him even higher above the stadium.

"And that would be Sky Uppercut," remarked Ernie.

"What's Simon going to do now?" asked Bert with curiosity as Simon started to fall back towards the ground.

"Okay…" grumbled Simon, "You asked for it!" Simon's body started to glow with a bright, orange light as he drew in energy. Aura paused, looking down at Mack as he finally set foot on the ground below.

"Now what is that Kabutops doing?" demanded Bert.

"This just can't be!" shouted Ernie with disbelief, "Simon is about to use Sky Attack!" Simon flew towards Aura with great speed, ready to collide and deliver the finishing blow to Aura.

"Aura!" shouted Mack, "Look out!" Aura gasped when she looked up and saw Simon coming right towards her.

"This ends here!" shouted Simon with triumph. Suddenly, a beam of brilliant light came towards Simon, he quickly changed course, evading the attack.

"Ha! You missed Mack!" laughed Simon. He gazed back towards the ground, realizing that he had just made a hideous mistake. Not only had he completely missed Aura, but he was heading straight for the ground at super sonic speed.

"Oh, NOOOOO!!" howled Simon as he went screaming towards the ground. Mack watched, almost not believing what was happening as Simon crashed into the field, making the entire stadium vanish within a cloud of thick, brown dust.

"Whoa!!" shouted William as he dove under his seat.

"What on earth just happened?!" coughed Xavier as the dust slowly started to clear.

"The dust is starting to settle now, ladies and gentlemen," said Bert, "Soon, we should be able to see what happened down there. Did Simon survive his fall? Will the battle continue to rage on? Or did Simon fall? Does the victory belong to Mr. Smith and his two pair of Gardevoirs?" The dust soon settled. The crowd gasped with shock. Right in the very center of the arena was Simon, with his upper body buried into the ground. Aura gently landed back on the ground and cautiously approached the fallen Kabutops as Mack gently ran to her side. Simon suddenly stirred as his legs twitched. Moments later, one of Simon's massive claws shot out of the ground near Aura. On the end of his claw, was Aura's platinum tiara, covered with diamonds.

"I believe this belongs to you…" said Simon gruffly as he slowly brought the trinket towards Aura. Mack walked over and carefully lifted the piece of fine jewelry off Simon's claw.

"What's my princess without her tiara?" said Mack as he walked towards Aura. Aura smiled and closed her eyes as Mack dusted of the tiara and then carefully slid it back in her hair. As Mack stepped away from Aura she straightened her headdress. The two Guardians vigorously shook the dust and dirt off their wedding attire. Then, the crowd cheered as Mack and Aura faced them hand-in-hand. Mack bowed politely while Aura smiled and offered a curtsey.

"And that's that, ladies and gents!" said Ernie with great joy, "Mr. Smith and his two wonderful couples of Gardevoirs have won the tournament!"

"Yes, indeed," said Bert with amazement, "Mr. Smith's Gardevoirs: Fredrick, Sakura, Mack and Aura cleared through the competition with fierce speed and stamina. Even so, Simon, a rogue Kabutops, came to show what he and his team were made of and they did. Simon and his friends have more than earned their second place in this tournament." Before long, a large platform had been brought onto the field for the awards ceremony. Soon, the participating trainers came onto the field with their Pokémon fully recovered. William, Enrique and Xavier all came onto the field and joined Mack, Aura, Sakura and Fredrick. Mr. Allens walked over to a podium on the platform. Before long, he was giving out the tournament awards. After Mr. Allens had given away a bronze trophy to the third placing trainers and bronze medals to each of their Pokémon, Simon was called onto the platform. At last, Mr. Allens was face to face with Simon the Kabutops.

"You've impressed a lot of people today, Simon," said Mr. Allens with delight, "For the first time in this city's history, a Pokémon and his team, with no human trainer, will be leaving this tournament with a prize. Therefore, I will now award you with the Silver Cup of the 103rd Annual Alakaz Open Tournament!" Mr. Allens placed the trophy in front of Simon and then shook one of the ancient Kabutops' claws.

"Congratulations to you, Simon and your incredible team of fellow Pokémon," said Mr. Allens as he released Simon's claw and put silver medals in the shape of a 5-pointed star around the necks of each of Simon's Pokémon.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Allens. I gave it my all," said Simon sternly, "I have no regrets."

"I think you should also have one of these medals, since you're a Pokémon yourself," said Mr. Allens as he carefully placed a silver star around Simon's neck too.

"You also get this," said Mr. Allens as he handed Simon a Pokéball, "Feel free to check out this new Pokémon after the awards ceremony." Simon took the Pokéball and nodded his head in agreement. The crowd cheered loudly as Simon casually left the platform.

"This tournament has been full of excitement and wonder," said Bert.

"And now, the champions will get their prize! Let's give a warm welcome to Mr. Smith and his quartet of Gardevoirs!" said Ernie. The crowd roared and cheered loudly as Mr. Smith, Fredrick, Sakura, Mack and Aura stepped onto the field and towards the platform. All seemed to be going so well: the two Gardevoir couples were coming towards Mr. Allens, hand-in-hand and Mr. Smith was about to step onto the platform.

"Careful, Li," said Anna quietly.

"I'm doing the best I can," said Li as he struggled to keep Ana on his shoulders, "You're starting to get too heavy…" Li carefully walked towards the stairs leading to the platform; however, just as he was climbing the last step, he stepped on the long trench coat and fell forwards. Anna slid out of the trench coat and onto the platform. The crowd gasped at the young Kirlia and Mawile, now no longer wearing their conspicuous disguise. Mr. Allen's couldn't help but laugh. Meanwhile, Bert and Ernie were paying close attention to the change in events.

"I'm getting to old for this…" complained Bert.

"And just when we thought there would be no more surprises, eh ladies and gentlemen?" asked Ernie to the crowd.

"Well, you know the rules," said Mr. Allens with happiness as the four Gardevoirs walked onto the platform, "At least for now, a trainer doesn't have to be human." Mr. Allens quickly placed gold, 3-inch wide, 5-pointed star medals around the Gardevoirs', Kirlia's and Mawile's necks.

"Do you think this medal looks good with my pendant?" asked Aura with a smile.

"I can't imagine any jewelry looking not looking good on you…," sighed Mack blissfully.

"And last but not least," said Mr. Allens as he brought a large, 3 foot tall gold trophy towards Mack and Aura, "I congratulate you all for being the champions of the 103rd Annual Alakaz Open Tournament! Congratulations!" The roar from the crowd was almost deafening as Mack and Aura took the trophy from Mr. Allens. They gazed into each other's eyes as Mack then passed the trophy towards Fredrick, Sakura, Li and Anna.

"You kids can have this, you earned it," said Mack as he continued to gaze at his beautiful mate, "Besides, I have other things on my mind…" Aura smiled and kissed Mack.

"And that concludes this year's tournament!" said Ernie with enthusiasm.

"Yes, indeed. We hope to see all of you back here next year, this is Bert…" said Bert.

"…And Ernie!…" shouted Ernie.

"…Signing off," said Bert as he switched off the microphone. Before long, the crowds were starting to disperse. Xavier had decided to fly away early back to the hotel balcony. Simon left earlier too, saying to Mack and Aura that he would meet them back at the Gardevoir city. Now, Mr. Allens was back with his honored Pokémon guests at the hotel. He noticed Mack as he carried Aura in his arms.

"You know," said Mr. Allens, trying to start a conversation, "If you want, Mack, I could have dinner brought up for you and your lovely mate."

"A romantic dinner for two, eh?" said Mack as he gazed into Aura's eyes, "What do you think, my dear?" Aura nodded her head as she kissed Mack.

"That would be wonderful…" sighed Aura blissfully.

"Just go on up to your suite then, and I'll have room service bring up whatever you want," said Mr. Allens. Mack nodded as he carried Aura up the stairwell.

"It must be wonderful to have a mate…" said Sakura with happiness as she smiled.

"Perhaps you can be my mate, someday," said Fredrick as he held Sakura's hand.

"Please! No more mush!" begged Anna as she fell to her knees, "You're gonna give me nightmares!" Enrique laughed as he helped Anna get back on her feet.

"And what's wrong with all this mushy stuff?" demanded Enrique with a grin, "You seem to feel all 'Mushy' whenever you dance with me." Anna blushed nervously.

"Enough," yawned William, "We have to head back home tomorrow morning, so we may as well get some dinner and then get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"Just go to the restaurant if you like," said Mr. Allens, "You can order whatever you want." Anna's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yay! I want all the ice cream you have in the hotel!" shouted Anna as she ran out of the lobby.

"You'd better at least save some for me!" said Enrique as he ran after Anna.

"I guess someone should keep an eye on them," said Sakura. Fredrick nodded his head as they left the lobby, holding hands.

"I, for one, could go for a pizza about now," said Fredrick as they disappeared around a corner and out of the hotel lobby.


	6. Section 6

**-12-**

Dr. Namwen stood alone in the darkness. The light from a nearby computer screen dimly illuminated his face. He had been carefully studying more technologies that he had recently discovered from the alien suit of armor in the last few hours. Now, in a small chamber, buried in the wall of his lab, his newest invention was coming to life.

"So much for the latest XD series Shadow Pokémon," thought Dr. Namwen, "No matter. Let those marauding beasts have their fun for now. In only a matter of minutes I should be able to find them, so long as they are within 200 miles of my facility." Dr. Namwen concentrated deeply as he carefully operated the delicate machinery. Behind a small metal door in the lab, intricate machines closely followed Dr. Namwen's careful movements. Within a matter of hours, his latest creation was ready for use. He let go of the sensitive controls and pressed a red button on the control console. A 5' wide, 4' tall metal door in a nearby wall opened, revealing a 3' cube-shaped, metal box.

"Now it's just a matter of installing this thing," thought Dr. Namwen as he pointed his right hand at the mysterious machine. His six Alakazams' eyes started glowing with an eerie red light as the machine was lifted out of the compartment and into the middle of the room. As soon as the device was in place, wires dropped down from the ceiling and seemed to plug themselves into Dr. Namwen's invention.

"At last!" thought Dr. Namwen with glee, "The Shadow Tracker is finally complete!" Suddenly, a Cipher trooper ran into Dr. Namwen's giant laboratory.

"I hate to disturb you sir," said the trooper as he panted with exhaustion, "But the agents who infiltrated ONBS were defeated!" Dr. Namwen's clenched his fists with rage.

"Let me guess…" snarled Dr. Namwen, "They were all defeated by the same child, weren't they?!"

"Yes," said the trooper with fear, "But they were successful in erasing the servers at ONBS and they managed to recover the stolen data disk."

"I never imagined that one of my backup disks would be stolen right out from under our noses and by a child no less!" growled Dr. Namwen, "What's with those clowns in the Orre region?! Do they have tapioca for brains?!"

"At least the Shadow Pokémon factory is intact," said the trooper, trying to reassure Dr. Namwen, "And no one outside of Cipher has managed to locate that frigate, the S.S. Libra. Despite the fact that XD001 dropped the frigate, we were able to steal all but one of the Pokémon that were onboard."

"No matter," said Dr. Namwen, as his anger started to subside, "But I still don't understand why XD001 failed like it did. Anyway, how is training going for the Omegalings?"

"The Omegalings have finished training and are resting in preparation for tomorrow's invasion," reported the trooper.

"Are the recovery agents ready?" asked Dr. Namwen as he new invention started to power up.

"They are also ready and will be awaiting your orders in the morning, sir," replied the trooper.

"Good. Hopefully we can cut our losses and recover the rogue XD003 and XD004," said Dr. Namwen as the humming from the mysterious device got louder and louder, "I've all but given up on recovering XD002, so we'd better be able to recover the other two. They broke out of the facility less than two days ago. They should still be in range of my new toy." The computer screens in the lab lit up as the machine continued to power up.

"And how are you going to find them?" asked the trooper, "Master Greevil is very concerned about the latest turn of events. He wants to make certain that XD001 will not rebel."

"XD001 will not be a problem," said Dr. Namwen, "Now, let's see if my new Shadow Tracker can help us find the missing Pokémon. I managed to reverse-engineer more components from the remnants of that alien's armor. With this, it should be easy to detect the unique shadow signature from the XD Pokémon, so long as they are within 200 miles of my facility here." The computer screens displayed a map. Gardev, Alakaz and the remaining Cipher facilities were plotted on the map. Dr. Namwen threw the main switch. The trooper sighed as nothing showed up on the computer screens.

"So…" grumbled Dr. Namwen, "Those fiends did manage to escape after all…" Just then, he noticed a weak signal coming from a position only a few miles away from Gardev.

"What do you make of that?" asked the trooper, "The signal is so weak."

"Whatever is going on, someone must be using high-powered jammers to try and conceal something," said Dr. Namwen. He closed his eyes, concentrating while he drew upon the vast intelligence of his Alakazams.

"Eureka!" shouted Dr. Namwen as he returned his gaze to the computer screens, "That exact spot marks the location of not only XD002, but also of that alien's secret base!"

"XD002? Isn't that the Shadow Gardevoir?" asked the trooper with curiosity.

"Yes!" exclaimed Dr. Namwen with triumph, "Ramirez is surely the most powerful Shadow Pokémon in existence. Even XD001 would not be able to defeat him since XD002 is of the bloodline of the Guardians of Gardev. It looks like the recovery team will be more useful than I expected. I can only imagine what that alien has stored in his little base."

"And I thought Cipher was going to fall again…" said the trooper with some relief, "Surely whatever that creature is hiding will make us unstoppable."

"You'd best get some sleep," said Dr. Namwen with an evil grin on his face, "After all, you will be leading the recovery team and occupational forces into Gardev."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" said the trooper as he saluted Dr. Namwen and quickly ran out of the room. Dr. Namwen once again turned his gaze to the computer screens. His eyes fell on the village of Gardev.

"You two Guardians had better enjoy this night of your honeymoon, for after tomorrow, you will belong…to me," said Dr. Namwen with delight.

**-13-**

The next morning, Mack, Aura and their friends left Alakaz. Mack had landed the gigantic S-5Hiu;oiad;ojcfhlyzdxgkh.cjl.m, heavy cargo carrier back at his hidden lab. Shortly thereafter, the newlywed couple left William, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna, Li and Enrique in Gardev. After saying their goodbyes, Glacian happily teleported Mack and Aura back to the Gardevoir city. There they would spend the rest of their honeymoon. Simon had also left for the Gardevoir city, not telling anyone what he was up to. Now, Mack and Aura were walking through the monumental white marble palace, enjoying one of the many flower gardens. An hour later, Glacian approached the lovers as they continued to marvel at the gardens.

"Mack, the elders and I need to speak with Aura," said Glacian sternly, "There is much we need to discuss with her." Aura could sense Mack's uneasiness and restlessness.

"Why don't you explore the palace in the meantime?" suggested Aura with a friendly smile.

"We should be finished talking with Aura by dinner time. I can come for you then, if you'd like," said Glacian.

"Okay," replied Mack.

"I'll be waiting for you," said Aura with a smile.

"Come with me, Aura," said Glacian. Aura nodded her head and followed after Glacian, holding her skirt with one hand. Mack sighed and he decided to wander about the corridors of the palace. He'd had enough of flower gardens for now. He wandered through the cavernous corridors, holding his skirt with his right hand. He soon noticed other Gardevoir couples in wedding attire, wandering about the palace too. Mack walked up to one of the couples.

"Excuse me for bothering you, but why are there so many Gardevoir couples here in the palace?" asked Mack with curiosity. The male Gardevoir, embracing his mate, looked Mack over. He could sense that Mack knew little of the Gardevoir city or its traditions. His eyes went wide when he noticed the sapphire pendant around Mack's neck.

"Wow!" said the male Gardevoir with surprise, "Look, dear! It's the Guardian of Gardev!" The Gardevoir and his mate broke their embrace and faced Mack.

"I see!" said the female Gardevoir with delight.

"I've heard a lot about you," said the male Gardevoir as he eagerly shook Mack's hand, "My name is Henry and this is my lovely mate, Sabrina."

"We were married just a few days ago," giggled Sabrina with happiness as she wrapped an arm around Henry.

"My name is Mack," said Mack.

"You're new here from what I can gather," said Henry, "So, I'll gladly explain. This palace is filled with wonderful and relaxing gardens. Many Gardevoir couples in this city like to come and spend the day here either to celebrate their recent marriage or their wedding anniversary. Of course, all Gardevoir and their children are welcome to visit this palace, too."

"Is there anything else you need to know?" asked Sabrina.

"No, thank you," said Mack with a friendly smile, "That's all I wanted to know."

"Well, then we'll be on our way. Shall we be off, my dear?" asked Henry as he glanced at his wife. Sabrina nodded her head and the young Gardevoir couple walked away from Mack and down one of the gigantic corridors. As Mack continued to walk through the palace, he noticed how other Gardevoirs would stop and glance at him as he passed by. Before long, Mack figured he would be able to relax more by journeying deeper into the palace and away from the other Gardevoir lovers. As he walked down another corridor and rounded a corner, a strange sight caught his eye. There, guarding an entryway, were two Pokémon that Mack had never seen before. They resembled the Gardevoir species, but had shorter white skirts, thicker legs and their forearms resembled blades. Mack tapped the side of his head a few times, hoping his implanted micro-computer would start working again. For some reason, the small device would not function after Mack had completely turned into a Gardevoir. Moments later, the familiar computer readouts filled Mack's vision as he glanced at the two Pokémon from around the corner. Moments later, information trickled in from Central's databases…

----------------------------------------------------------------

Species#475 -No Call Data Available-

NameErureido -No Picture on Record-

DataNo Data Available… -No Habitat Information-

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Erureido?" thought Mack with amazement, "I've never seen anything like it before." Mack glanced around the corner. From what he could see, the two Erureidos were engaged in a heated match of 5 Card Draw Poker. Mack walked around the corner, eager to meet the new Pokémon. As soon as the two guards spotted Mack, they dropped their cards in shock: they knew very well who this male Gardevoir in wedding attire was, especially when they noticed the unmistakable sapphire pendant. They instantly jumped to their feet and saluted Mack.

"Welcome, Guardian of Gardev!" said the two Erureidos in unison and with respect.

"Please. You don't have to greet me like that. My name is Mack," said Mack.

"Oh," said one of the Erureidos as they lowered their arms.

"It's just tradition," said the other Erureido, "Being a Guardian of Gardev is very honorable and that commands respect."

"There's no need for that kind of formality," said Mack, "I'm not exactly royalty."

"But to the people in this city, you are royalty," said the first Erureido, "Like a prince and a princess."

"Well, enough about me," said Mack with a friendly smile, "Now, how about you tell me more about yourselves? I've never met or even seen an Erureido before. What do you guys do here?"

"Okay," said the second Erureido, "My name is Wallace and this is my friend, Arthur."

"Pleased to meet, you Guardian of Gardev," said Arthur with a polite bow.

"Just call me Mack," said Mack with some embarrassment, "It's easier for me."

"As you wish, Mack," said Wallace as he regained his composure, "Me, Arthur and the other Erureidos in this city are the sworn protectors of the Gardevoir city."

"There's only about fifty of us," explained Arthur, "Our job is to help keep order in the city and, most importantly, guard the palace."

"Thankfully, the city and palace are very peaceful," said Wallace with happiness, "So being one of the city's elite guard is an easy, but also a very honorable job."

"What did you two evolve from?" asked Mack.

"Why, we were both Kirlia when we were younger," answered Wallace.

"How about I explain how we got our jobs," said Arthur, "Being one of the elite guards is very honorable indeed, but getting to be one is not at all easy."

"Training begins at a young age. We were both still Ralts when we began our training," said Wallace, "And only a male Ralts can undergo the training."

"But the training is very difficult and very few Ralts or Kirlia actually succeed," explained Arthur, "But when they do succeed, they are given a pendant. Set in the gold pendant, is an Awakening Stone. Apparently, a male Kirlia must be holding onto the stone when he evolves into his final form."

"But Awakening Stones are very rare," said Wallace, "That is part of why the elite guard training is so difficult and also why there are so few of us." Mack took a closer look at Wallace and Arthur: he soon noticed that both of the Erureidos had a gold ring on the middle finger of their left hands.

"I see you've noticed our wedding bands," chuckled Wallace.

"Speaking of which, today is my tenth wedding anniversary!" said Arthur with happiness, "I can't wait until I'm off duty and at home with my beautiful mate."

"Tenth anniversary already, eh?" said Wallace with a grin, "That's one of the big ones."

"How so?" asked Mack with curiosity. Wallace glanced at Mack, sensing that the new Guardian of Gardev knew almost nothing about tradition in the Gardevoir city.

"This is how things tend to work in the Gardevoir city," explained Wallace, "Every mid summer, unmarried Gardevoirs and Erureidos seek mates. Nearly all Gardevoir weddings happen at this time of year. Why, Sophia and I celebrated our 50th anniversary just last week."

"If only I could wear my wedding attire now," sighed Arthur, "Then again, I would look rather strange standing guard in it, wouldn't I?"

"Yes, you would!" laughed Wallace, "Not to mention, if you actually had to fend something off, you'd probably trip and fall flat on your face! Then I would have to save your hide!"

"At least Jasmine will be all dressed up for me by the time I get home," sighed Arthur blissfully, "She'll be there in the doorway with my wedding attire on hand."

"Anyway, a Gardevoir's 10th anniversary is most important, because, traditionally, a couple's first Ralts is born before their 11th wedding anniversary," explained Wallace, "At least that's the tradition in this city, anyway."

"I see," said Mack with understanding. The idea of having a Ralts with Aura was a very pleasant thought. After all, as the Guardians of Gardev, Mack and Aura would have to have offspring to preserve the Guardian bloodline.

"Now, I think I've prattled on long enough," said Wallace, "Tell me Mack, what brings you here? Have you come to see the treasure room? It's right through this doorway." Wallace pointed to the very same doorway that he and Arthur had been guarding.

"Am I really allowed to enter?" asked a bewildered Mack.

"Of course!" laughed Wallace, "After all, Gardevoirs and Erureidos alike don't feel greed. We all know that gems and precious metals are valuable, but none of us would ever want to come here and try to take all these treasures by force. The treasures of this city are here for any Gardevoir or Erureido who wants them."

"Come to think of it," said Arthur, "Most of the gold and jewels here end up as wedding jewelry for female Gardevoirs and, of course, as fine wedding bands."

"Well, I'll have to take a look inside, then," said Mack.

"Please do," said Wallace with a friendly smile, "I do hope you'll come back here with your mate, soon. Since the Guardians of Gardev almost always reside in the nearby village, very few Pokémon in this city ever get to meet them."

"I guess it's for good reason, too," said Arthur nervously, "Can you remember how much the female Gardevoirs fought for your attention?"

"How could I forget?" chuckled Wallace, "Take it from me, Mack: when a Kirlia evolves into an Erureido, he doesn't stay single for long."

"Yeah, I had dozens of young Gardevoirs coming after me. It seems like once every two years an Erureido gets married. Since a Guardian is eligible for marriage only once every 25 years, I imagine that competition from potential mates would be no less than a riot," said Arthur.

"A riot, eh? At least it would give us something exciting to do for once," said Wallace with soft laughter.

"And being with our mates isn't exciting?" asked Arthur with a grin. Wallace erupted with laughter.

"Well, I'll be going now. It was nice to meet you," said Mack as he started for the doorway.

"It was an honor to meet you, Mack," said Wallace as Mack walked through the doorway.

"Please come back with your mate and chat with us again sometime, okay?" asked Arthur.

"Will do," said Mack as he walked onward, holding his skirt with one hand.

"Are you worried about that object we're supposed to guard?" asked Arthur.

"You still have a lot to learn, young friend," said Wallace, "There is now way that ANY Gardevoir or Erureido would have any interest in that…dark object." As the two guards continued to talk, Mack wandered about the treasure room. He looked around the giant room with amazement, marveling at the enormous piles of gold. He knelt down and picked up a piece of gold, studying it carefully. His onboard computer confirmed Mack's suspicions: it was some of the purest gold he had ever seen in all his years. He walked a bit further, knelt down and closely examined some nearby gems. The gems were all large and flawless. He then continued walking down a 5' wide marble-tiled causeway between the piles of gold and gems. The rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds shone with bright luster amongst the mountains of gold. The room was also very silent. The only sounds Mack heard were his soft footsteps and the rustling of the petticoats under the skirt his wedding dress. Minutes later, three glass cases with gold trim on their sides in the middle of the room caught Mack's eyes. Mack walked quickly down the causeway towards the mysterious objects.

"I wonder what would so important enough to be in the middle of the room?" thought Mack as he approached the glass cases. They two cases were right in the middle of a four-way intersection in the causeways. The first object to the far right didn't seem to be of much interest: just a golden pendant much like Mack's, but with what seemed to be a black opal inset in fine gold. Then Mack turned his head to the left and gazed at the other case. What he found there shocked him: in the case were two wedding dresses, more ornate than even his and Aura's. The first dress was obviously for the bride: the bodice sparkled brightly from thousands of fine cut, inlaid diamonds. Small blue diamonds gave the appearance of fine, ornate patterns on the bodice. The skirt shimmered even brighter than Aura's. A white bow was on the back of the waist, also inlaid with small diamonds. Mack gasped at this wondrous sight: the lace headdress had diamonds on its frame. Even the garter had a ring of diamonds around it. On a small shelf above the dress, Mack saw diamond bracelets and earrings, but for some reason, he could not locate the tiara. The other wedding dress was definitely for a Gardevoir groom. Thought not as flashy as the bride's it still put Mack's own wedding attire to shame.

"Sheesh…" thought Mack with surprise, "I wonder who the heck are these are for?!"

"To be precise, these were going to be yours and Aura's wedding attire," said Glacian as he walked alongside Mack, "However, you did notice that the tiara is missing. I could never have given you and Aura these outfits for your wedding since such an important piece is lost. After all, these pieces are over a century old."

"Where did they come from?" asked Mack with curiosity.

"These wonderful dresses were made by the finest Gardevoir craftsmen and seamstresses," explained Glacian, "They were made for me and Gloria for our wedding day." Glacian glanced at Mack, sensing his curiosity.

"I see you want to know more about the story," said Glacian, "I knew this after you had asked me why I was not dressed up for yours and Aura's wedding."

"You don't have to tell me if it's too painful for you," said Mack.

"I think you should know this," replied Glacian, "By hearing this story, perhaps you will be better prepared for the years ahead with Aura. Please have a seat." Mack carefully sat down while Glacian leaned against one of the glass cases.

"How to begin?" said Glacian, "Ah! One hundred years ago on the very same day you and Aura were married, me and my lovely mate, Gloria, shared in our own wedding. We had many happy years together and we even had a single male Ralts. Though the times were very good for us, I feared greatly for Gloria every time we had to take action against what would have been a disaster for the town of Gardev for she was the first of the Guardians who could not use the powers of her pendant."

"The pendants increase the power of the wearer," said Mack.

"Yes, they do make a Pokémon more powerful," explained Glacian grimly, "But only a member of the Guardian bloodline can use them. That also includes a Gardevoir chosen as the Guardian's mate. At any rate, 75 years ago, a very brutal winter storm had set over the Gardev mountains. We had never seen anything like it. The snow was several feet deep, just in Gardev. Outside Gardev, the snow piled to epic proportions in the forests and on the mountain sides. I knew something terrible was going to happen, but I just didn't know when. Then, on the very night of our 25th wedding anniversary, after spending the entire day celebrating our own son's wedding, disaster struck. A gigantic avalanche broke out on the slopes above Gardev in the middle of the night. Our son had left for the Gardevoir city for his wedding night, so Gloria and I were the only ones who could stop this onslaught. We ran outside our home, still in our wedding attire, running towards the approaching waves of snow. I summoned all the power I could, as did Gloria. For a time, the rumbling of the avalanche grew quiet as the cascades of snow came to a stop. I dropped to the ground, exhausted for I had taken the brunt of the work. Gloria looked back towards the mountain: she seemed to sense that our work was far from over. She ran ahead in the darkness and I tried to follow her, but I couldn't keep up. I had been weakened greatly. Amidst the sound of wind blowing over the snow drifts, I could hear a distinct rumbling getting louder and louder. I frantically tried to search for Gloria as the avalanche continued towards Gardev with renewed speed. At that moment, I learned why the winter had been so harsh that year. 'I see Articuno!' shrieked Gloria, far away on one of the hillsides. I felt a great wind from above as the giant bird flew overhead. I couldn't see him, but I could still sense his presence. I then remembered something dreadful: Articuno only appeared to doomed people and Pokémon in mountainous areas. Moments later, I saw a bright light up ahead, hundreds of yards ahead of me: Gloria was using all the energy she had to divert the avalanche away from Gardev and away from me. 'Gardev is safe,' said Gloria through telepathy, 'And so are you, my love. Thank you for all the wonderful years we've gotten to spend together. Never forget me and give my love to our beloved son. I love you, my dear Glacian.' Those were the last words I heard from my beloved mate as the titanic wave of snow and ice swallowed her, dousing out her brilliant light. Nevertheless, the avalanche split in two and continued on, past Gardev and away from me. I managed to get back to my room in the same house that now belongs to Warren. The mayor of that time helped me to my room and tried to console me before he left the room. As I sat on the bed, wearing my wedding attire, it hit me: my beautiful, beloved mate was gone forever. I quickly took off my wedding attire and threw it to the ground in frustration, wishing that I could have done more to save her. I then removed my wedding band, throwing it out a nearby window in rage, knowing that I would have to spend the rest of the night of my 25th wedding anniversary…alone."

"That's…just so sad…" said Mack with despair.

"A few weeks later, the unnatural winter had come to an end. My son and his mate even returned early to help console me. With their help, I was able to gather enough of my courage to venture to the very spot where Gloria had been taken from me. When we got there, I discovered something interesting. Locked in thick, blue ice, was almost all of Gloria's wedding attire. My son, his mate and I managed to get everything free from the ice in a matter of hours. Almost everything was intact, except that the tulle petticoats had vanished: the delicate underskirt had probably been destroyed. Also, her diamond and platinum tiara had disappeared without a trace. The garter had been stored in a closet in our room back in Gardev. My joy was short-lived, for after weeks of further searching, we still could not find Gloria's body. Sensing my loss and despair, my son and his mate gladly offered to take mine and Gloria's former place as the Guardians of Gardev. A day after I passed on the pendants to the new Guardians, Gloria's name was inscribed on the monument in the town square along with the details surrounding her death. She had given her very life to protect the few hundred people who dwelled in Gardev. The people could not express their thanks with words. After the funeral I came back here, to the Gardevoir city. One good thing did come of all this. Despite my great loss, I once again had a sense of joy for I had been chosen to be the next head elder in the Gardevoir city, even though I was the youngest Gardevoir appointed to this position in millennia. I then ordered for two glass and gold cases to be made and in those cases I placed mine and Gloria's wedding attire."

"Did you ever confront Articuno?" asked Mack, "Overall, he was responsible for Gloria's death."

"To be honest, I was very angry at Articuno at first. Not long after I became the next head elder, I went on a journey to the Orange Islands in search of Articuno. It took months before I finally was able to meet him face to face on his island," explained Glacian.

"And what did you do when you saw him?" asked Mack eagerly.

"Articuno simply asked why I had come to see him. I explained about the unnatural winter that had resulted from him residing in the Gardev Mountains and how his actions had caused the death of my mate, Gloria. I mentioned that we were the Guardians of Gardev at the time: at that point, Articuno's eyes opened wide. He was well aware of the legends surrounding the Guardians. After learning that his actions had killed one of the Guardians, he was begging for my forgiveness, promising that he would never again reside in the Gardev Mountains," said Glacian, telling his old story, "Of course; I forgave the ancient bird of ice. Destroying him would have solved nothing. Articuno and I have been close friends ever since then."

"What became of your son and his mate?" asked Mack.

"I'm afraid that the grief over my family had only really begun. Since Gloria's death, the next Guardian couples were doomed for they could also not use the powers of the pendants. I had to watch for decades as my son, his mate and their firstborn offspring perished from the natural disasters, passing the pendants on to the next, doomed generation. Maybe you have not noticed, Mack, but Alexander's parents are no longer with us. A monumental landslide claimed them after weeks of heavy rain had saturated the hillsides around Gardev. They also, selflessly, ended up giving their lives for the people of Gardev. After they had been killed, I promised myself that I would give mine and Gloria's wedding attire to a Guardian couple who would not bear the same fate as the previous Guardians. Alas, for Alexander and Aurora could not use their pendants either. I had feared for the worst when they disappeared a few years ago. I'm very thankful that you came into our lives, Mack. Now Alexander and Aurora are home, safe and sound. On top of that, you and Aura are capable of using the pendants. For that reason, I would have given you these magnificent outfits to you and Aura for your wedding, because I had sworn that no other female Gardevoir would perish in this fine wedding dress again."

"I think I would have been even more uncomfortable on my wedding day if I had to wear this!" said Mack with nervous laughter as he pointed at the groom's wedding dress. Glacian chuckled warmly at Mack's outburst.

"I guess things worked out for the better then," said a smiling Glacian, "Besides, I could not have given these to you and Aura without the tiara anyway. I hope someone will find it soon, because I would really like it if Alexander and Aurora's eldest son and his future mate got to wear these magnificent clothes and jewelry."

"I understand," said Mack, "But why did you tell me such a sad tale?"

"I want to make sure that you and Aura will stick together as much as possible and protect each other," said Glacian sternly, "I never want to see another Guardian fall in the line of duty again as long as I live!" Mack nodded his head in agreement. Even before hearing Glacian's tragic story, Mack had made up his mind to protect Aura as best as he could. Mack had known for quite some time that Gardevoirs would give their lives for their human companions whenever the need arose. After dwelling on these facts for a time, Mack turned his gaze towards the black and gold pendant.

"And what is this thing?" asked Mack, "Is it another pendant for the Guardians of Gardev?" Glacian stared at the black pendant and frowned.

"Do you want to hear another story?" asked Glacian, "For this tale will explain why the pendants are distributed the way they are."

"Sure," said Mack, "I may as well learn more about the traditions of the Guardians since I'm part of the family now."

"Okay," said Glacian with a smile, "You know how the male Guardian wears the sapphire pendant and the female Guardian wears the ruby pendant. I've told you that story before, but I have yet to tell you how the emerald and diamond pendants came to be."

"There's also a diamond pendant?" asked Mack with disbelief, "How many of these things are there?"

"Just the four pendants, now, if you'll excuse me," said Glacian as he thought back, "Now I remember. Twenty-four years after the first Guardians were married; there was a feast and a celebration, for their first-born son had finally evolved into a handsome Gardevoir. Amidst the joyous celebration; however, there was grief. The founder of Gardev had a younger brother and his brother was also seeking the legendary Gardevoir city. The Gardevoir elders soon learned that this man had hired a large army of mercenaries to storm and capture their city. This army also had a secret weapon which a group of scouting Erureidos discovered. The Gardev founder's brother had somehow managed to fashion another pendant. Unlike the other pendants, which could only be used for good, this black opal pendant could only be used for destruction. To make matters worse, the dark pendant was being worn by a powerful Houndoom. The elders were afraid of the scout's description for they learned how the Houndoom had used his pendant's destructive powers to destroy entire villages as they made their way to Gardev. Even if all the Gardevoir and their children tried to fight the Houndoom, they would fail. Even the two Guardians would not have enough power to defeat the new threat. The head elder of the time quickly journeyed back to Gardev to explain the situation to the village founder. Upon listening to my ancestor's story, the mayor produced two more pendants: a diamond and an emerald pendant. The mayor gave the pendants to the Guardians of Gardev. Knowing that only a member of their bloodline could use them, they gave the diamond pendant to their firstborn son and the male Guardian gave the emerald pendant to his younger brother. Within a matter of days, the Houndoom and the army of ruthless mercenaries were only a few miles from Gardev. The four Gardevoir went out to meet them. The mayor's wicked brother soon caught sight of the four Gardevoir and he sent his powerful Houndoom after them. The evil man thought he would defeat the Guardians and their kin without much of a fight, but with the added power of the four pendants, the Guardians triumphed. Shortly afterwards, the Guardians used their power to drive the mercenaries and their commander out of the Gardev mountains, never to return. After that, the first female Guardian, Aura, came alongside the fallen Houndoom and tried to remove the black pendant from its neck, but she could not touch it for the dark power was too great. In the end, it took the combined efforts of Aura and her mate to telekinetically lift the pendant off the Houndoom and then take it back to Gardev. There, the elders obtained the pendant and brought it back to the city. Upon closer examination, they discovered that they could not purify the pendant, or even touch it since the dark power is so great. Since no one could wield it, they placed the pendant in the palace treasure room, where it has remained hidden for centuries. Since Gardevoirs and their kin do not seek power, the pendant has lane here, undisturbed. Practically every resident of the city knows of this pendant and the location. Ever since the day the black pendant was captured, the tradition of the pendants has continued: the first-born Ralts of the Guardian couple wears the Diamond pendant. Also, the male Guardian chooses one of his brothers to wear the emerald pendant and serve as a relief Guardian, whose job is to watch over Gardev should the other Guardians need rest or if they will be gone for some time."

"I understand," said Mack.

"There is more to the diamond pendant," said Glacian, "The day Aura is found to be with Ralts, you Mack, will have the honor of placing the diamond pendant around Aura's neck. She will wear the pendant as a sign of celebration. When your first Ralts is born, Aura will place the diamond pendant around the child's neck, for the first-born of the Guardians carries the responsibility of continuing the bloodline. The pendant not only signifies that, but also will make the Ralts grow very strong."

"Does Ramirez even know of the black pendant's existence?" asked Mack.

"Yes, Ramirez knows of the black pendant," answered Glacian, "The history of this city and of Pokémon is taught in the schools here."

"I would expect that dancing is the most popular course for young Kirlia," said Mack with laughter.

"Indeed," chuckled Glacian, "Now, I think I've told enough stories for one day. Aura is waiting for you as are a few of your friends." Mack nodded and followed Glacian as he left the treasure room. Before he left the room, he glanced back at the dark pendant, wondering if maybe he and Aura could one day purge the black pendant of its evil power.


	7. Section 7

**-14-**

Dr. Namwen stepped outside his helicopter, just miles away from Gardev. His landing site was where a Cipher base had stood just a month ago.

"Are all the teams in position?" asked Dr. Namwen to a Cipher commander.

"The Omega squadrons are in position and are awaiting orders, sir," said the commander.

"Is the recovery crew in place and armed?" asked Dr. Namwen with excitement.

"They are all set and ready to begin breaking into the alien's base," reported the commander, "Also, the occupation forces are ready to infiltrate Gardev."

"Good," said Dr. Namwen with glee, "Remember, all teams will begin their missions as soon as the distraction had been completed." Dr. Namwen produced a remote control from his left lab coat pocket and pressed a green button on the side of the controller. Moments later, a black Gardevoir, stepped out of the helicopter and walked to Dr. Namwen's side. The Gardevoir was covered with armor, resembling the type that had been used by Team Rocket to restrain Mewtwo.

"I hope you're ready for your first real mission, Cecil," cackled Dr. Namwen. The dark Gardevoir did not respond but stood still and silent.

"All teams are ready and waiting," said the commander as he listened through the helicopter's radio.

"Have all teams run a final weapons check," ordered Dr. Namwen, "We have only one shot at this and everything must go as planned. I'm sure you are well aware that the S.S. Libra has been found. It's only a matter of time before the authorities start an investigation in the Orre region and whatever they find will lead them here! The last thing we need now is for the Gardev and Orre regions to be crawling with federal agents!" A few minutes passed before the commander got more news from the front lines.

"The weapons check is complete. All teams say the invasion is a go," reported the commander.

"Splendid," said Dr. Namwen as a grin spread across his face, "The distraction will be initiated in three hours."

**-15-**

Mack followed Glacian up a stairwell. He stepped out of the stairwell into a large room. From what Mack could gather, he was now in the palace dinning room. Sitting at the far end of the table was Aura. Sitting close by, Mack saw Simon and Mewtwo.

"Greetings, Doctor," said Simon with a grin. Aura smiled at Mack as he walked towards and then sat down at the table next to her. Glacian sat at the head of the table. Simon and Mewtwo were on the opposite side as Mack and Aura. Mewtwo laughed with happiness as he gazed at Mack and Aura.

"Well, so you married the fair Guardian of Gardev after all, didn't you, Mack?" said Mewtwo, "Granted, I wish I had been able to come and be a part of your wedding, but I had quite a few things that needed to be taken care of."

"Its not a problem," said Mack with a smile as he held Aura's hand, "I'm just glad you were able to come at all." Mewtwo nodded his head in agreement. Soon, dinner was served for the newlyweds and company. As they dinned, Mack and Aura were having a quiet conversation while Simon and Mewtwo talked about some of the greatest fights they had ever been a part of. The sun was now setting.

"So, what did Glacian and the elders talk to you about?" asked Mack with curiosity. Aura held Mack's hand tighter and smiled at him.

"The elders just wanted me to reaffirm my duties," said Aura happily, "I hope you will fulfill all of them with me."

"Are you talking about…children?" asked Mack. Aura smiled and nodded her head.

"You do want a Ralts or two, don't you?" asked Aura with some hesitation.

"Someday, yes," said Mack as he stroked Aura's hand with his thumb, "I'll be looking forward to our 10th anniversary." Aura leaned against Mack and sighed blissfully.

"Who told you about the city tradition, my love?" asked Aura sweetly.

"Let's just say that a few Erureido guards were kind enough to tell me more about the city and the way of life here," said Mack softly, "Let's just enjoy being married to each other until then, fair enough?" Aura smiled as she wrapped her left arm around Mack's back and held him close. Glacian finished his meal and he faced the two lovers.

"I sense that you and Aura want to be alone for the night?" asked Glacian.

"Indeed," said Mack as he and Aura kissed. Glacian stood up from the table.

"Than feel free to take leave from us," said Glacian, "Mewtwo, you can stay here in the palace for the night. Simon, you can do the same."

"I hope you and your mate will spend more time together with me tomorrow, Mack," said Mewtwo as he stood up from the table, "There is much I want to discuss with you and your wife." Mewtwo left the room: Simon followed close behind. As Mack and Aura started to leave the room, Glacian placed a hand on Mack's shoulder and whispered into his ear.

"No matter what happens, keep Aura close to you, Mack. You and your mate are capable of so much together and soon, you will be able to do even more," said Glacian quietly.

"What do you mean?" asked Mack, wondering if Glacian had foreseen something terrible.

"You and Aura are about to receive a great gift. I don't know what this gift is, but I do know that it will be a sign of the Guardian family for the rest of time," explained Glacian as he let go of Mack's shoulder and walked out another doorway.

"What did he want?" asked a bewildered Aura. Mack shrugged.

"Glacian told me to stay close to you and that we are going to receive some sort of great gift," said Mack as he held Aura close, "Then again, I can't imagine a greater gift than you." Aura blushed deeply as Mack embraced and kissed her with great passion. Before long, Mack was leading Aura up the stairwell to their room. Suddenly, Aura stopped in her tracks as the blissful smile on her face was replaced with anxiety. Mack could sense that something was amiss.

"Do you feel that?" asked Aura as she glanced up and down the stairwell.

"What on earth is happening?" thought Mack. Before he could make another move, the ground beneath his feet started to shake violently.

"What is going on?!" shouted Aura with fear as cracks started appearing in the white, marble walls.

"It's an earthquake!" shouted Mack as he struggled to keep his balance, "But this is impossible unless…unless there's another Seismic Generator!" Just then, the stairs under Mack's feet suddenly caved in. Mack gasped as he started to fall through the broken stairway.

"I've got you!" yelled Aura as she quickly reached out and grabbed Mack by the red fin in his back. The violent shaking quickly subsided.

"How embarrassing…" thought Mack as he dangled over the damaged stairwell. Aura carefully pulled Mack back onto the stable remains of the stairs.

"Is it over now?" asked Aura as she held Mack close. Mack wanted to say it was, but he soon heard screams and shouts from other Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts out in the city. They seemed to be trying to find each other in the ruined marble city.

"We better get back to the elders' room and find Glacian," said Mack as two Erureidos came running down the stairwell, jumping over the missing steps.

"Mack! Aura! Are you alright?" asked a familiar voice.

"Arthur?" asked Mack, "Aura and I are okay."

"Me and Wallace were stationed outside your room when that quake struck," explained Arthur as Wallace helped Aura and Mack back on their feet.

"We need to get to the throne room and find Glacian," said Mack. The Erureidos nodded their heads in agreement.

"We're at your command," said Wallace as he and Arthur closely followed the Gardevoir couple down the stairway. As they got back to the ground floor they found, much to their despair, the ceiling had caved in, blocking the stairwell entrance behind several hundred tons of shattered marble.

"We'll handle this," said Wallace as he and Arthur stepped past Mack and Aura, "We'll have this place open again in no time!"

**-16-**

Back in Gardev, Warren and Jake were surrounded by a group of 50 armed Cipher agents and their Pokémon. The Cipher agents had rounded up all the people of Gardev and their Pokémon into the town square.

"Everyone, please stay calm," said one agent through a megaphone, "We will be leaving shortly."

"And what, may I ask, are the lot of you doing in my town?" demanded an angry Warren.

"You have nothing to fear from us," said the agent, trying to reassure Gardev's mayor, "Our orders are just to keep you and the townspeople here until our mission in the forests is complete."

"I don't suppose you could tell me what exactly your people are doing in the forests, can you?" asked Warren, trying not to lose his temper.

"I can't tell you that," warned the agent, "Our orders are to not harm anyone or any Pokémon, unless you try and fight back. Then, well will have no choice but to attack with extreme prejudice."

"What about these Gardevoirs?" asked another agent as he pointed his rifle at Alexander and Aurora. Fredrick stood in front of Sakura, ready to protect her. Anna, on the other hand, was being held back by Enrique.

"Let me at them!" shouted Anna, trying to dash towards the nearest Cipher agent. Enrique held onto Anna's left hand tightly.

"Relax, Anna," said Enrique softly; trying to calm Anna down, "They won't hurt us unless we attack them." Li glared at another agent, wishing he could sink his teeth into one of their armored boots. William, on the other hand, hid behind Aurora.

"Those aren't the Guardians," replied the first agent, "Leave them and those Kirlia alone. We only need to occupy this town until all missions have been completed. If anyone finds the Guardians, bring them here."

"What have you been ordered to do to them?" snarled Warren. The agent pushed Warren away from his with the butt of his rifle.

"That is not your concern, now stay back," warned the agent. The second agent got closer to the first.

"Where do you think the Guardians went? Our orders were to detain them here," whispered the second agent.

"No worries," said the first agent quietly, "If we did find the Guardians, there would probably be a big fight. Just stand back and wait for the all-clear from command." Meanwhile, K-1 was having difficulties of his own. Just moments ago, Eric was at the ground surface, about to board the elevator, when masked men and women in white, armored uniforms ambushed the scientist. Eric didn't even enough time to send his Alakazams out to defend himself before he was dragged off camera. Now the agents had managed to bypass the security systems on the elevator and had descended into the lab. To make matters worse, they were using plasma torches to melt their way through the main entrance.

"That blast door isn't going to hold on much longer!" said K-1 with fear as he used Central's cameras to get a closer look at the invaders.

"Strange," said Central, "They seem to be carrying disruptor rifles and plasma torches. Whoever sent those troops here knew what they were doing."

"I picked a heck of a time to upgrade the security systems didn't I?" moped K-1, "Now the entire system is no longer functioning and those bandits will be able to break in and take whatever they want."

"Not to mention that you can be disabled from a single blast of their weapons," said Central.

"Better seal the medical bay," said K-1 as he closely watched the front door on the giant view screen.

"That will not be of much use. They would be able to breach the door within minutes. I suggest an emergency evacuation," said Central.

"And what about the ships and weapons we have down here?" asked an irritated K-1.

"Simple. I'll put them into electronic lockdown," replied Central calmly, "Even if they steal the equipment, it would still take over a week for one of their scientists to crack the pass code. This is, if the same person responsible for reverse-engineering the S-100I and its components is on the job."

"That'll do. I doubt it would take us more than a week to find their base and snatch 'em back," said K-1, feeling more reassured.

"In the meantime, we need to begin our retreat," said Central as the hidden compartment in the wall near the main terminal started to open. Moments later, the familiar S-100F emerged, only without its weapons.

"Shouldn't you equip at least the FIW-59C Elemental Cannons?" asked a flabbergasted K-1, "And what about Ramirez?"

"There's no time," said Central as the agents were about ready to breech the main entrance blast door, "To the hanger!" K-1 and Central ran into the hanger, quickly closing the doors behind them as the agents finally broke through the lab's front entrance. As they agents charged into the lab, metal panels slid out from the floor and walls to cover the super computer and all its consoles. As Central opened the main hanger door, K-1 quickly welded the entryway doors shut.

"That'll keep them out, even if only for a few minutes," said K-1 as the hanger doors were finally open.

"Let us make our escape," said Central as the armor's jet boots came to life. Central flew out of the hanger at full speed while K-1 used his thrusters to hastily get clear of the hanger. Up above, they could see several trucks and jeeps at the entrance of the lab.

"The ratios are not it our favor, K-1," said Central grimly.

"Looks like we had a small army knocking at our door," said K-1 with anger, "What do we do now?"

"Mack gave me instructions for us to head to Gardev in case the lab was breeched by intruders," explained Central.

"Then let's get moving!" shouted K-1 as he and Central flew off towards Gardev with great haste. Back in Gardev, Alexander was holding Aurora close, ready to protect her, when Aurora suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Keep her quiet!" snarled one of the troops at Warren. The old mayor shook his fist at the trooper defiantly as Alexander tried to console his mate.

"What's wrong, dear?" asked Alexander softly. Aurora was trembling.

"Can't you sense it?" asked Aurora quietly, shaking with fear, "Something terrible is about to happen in the Gardevoir city. I think Mack, Aura and Glacian are in grave danger." Alexander closed his eyes, trying to focus his power.

"I sense it too…" whispered Alexander, "We better go get our son."

"But we can't, Alexander…" sighed Aurora, "If we make the slightest move, these men will shoot us all." Minutes later, K-1 and Central managed to land in the forests outside of Gardev undetected. K-1 adjusted his vision modes again, trying to assess the danger and think up a strategy.

"Great…" muttered K-1 as he surveyed the scene.

"I see the same thing," said Central, "The Cipher agents are holding all the town's people and Pokémon in the town square. Considering the weapons and Pokémon they have at their disposal, an assault would be foolhardy and potentially lethal for the townspeople. A new strategy is required." K-1 carefully adjusted his audio sensors, trying to make them as sensitive as possible. He could clearly make out Alexander, Aurora, Warren, Jake, Anna, Li and Enrique in the small crowd of people and Pokémon.

"At least no one appears to be hurt," said K-1 as he tried to listen in to the troopers' conversation.

"I still can't believe that we got stuck with a babysitting job," grumbled one trooper.

"All the other groups get to have all the fun. I almost hope these people and their Pokémon do try something stupid. Blowing this place to smithereens would be better than just standing here, waiting for the word to pull out," complained another.

"You will be silent and man your post," snarled a Cipher commander, "There will be no more of that kind of talk. Our job is just top keep these villagers from interfering with our business at the alien's base and in the Gardevoir city." At that moment, K-1 heard the commander's radio beep.

"Commander? Are you there?" asked the voice.

"Commander Argus here, what is it?" asked the commander.

"XD002 has been recovered. What are our orders?" asked the trooper through the radio.

"Have XD002 sent to the front lines of the Gardevoir city at once. Dr. Namwen will be very pleased with this news," said the commander, "After that, take anything that we can use."

"We can do that, but we can't seem to do anything about the alien's super computer. These metal plates moved over and covered the entire machine. Not even our plasma torches can melt through. On top of that, we discovered that the remaining inhabitants of this base had fled upon our arrival. The good news is that we now have all of the alien's weapons and vehicles in our possession," reported the trooper.

"Leave the computer. Just take the weapons and vehicles. Leave anything behind that we can't use, understood?" ordered the commander, "And forget about the base inhabitants. That is not important, unless they were the Guardians."

"We can confirm that is was not the Guardians," reported the trooper over the occasional crackling of the radio.

"I wonder where the Guardians are hiding?" asked the commander to himself, "Surely they aren't in the Gardevoir city. The strike teams would be out of their league without the black darts…"

"We gave the order and XD002 is on his way to Dr. Namwen. The teleportation should have him on the front lines in a matter of seconds," said the trooper.

"Good," replied the commander, "Let me know if anything else comes up."

"Weren't we supposed to use the black darts on the Guardians if we found them?" asked a trooper near the commander.

"Quiet down," ordered the commander, "Remember private, the dark darts can turn any Pokémon, even the Guardians, into an XD series Pokémon. No one outside of Cipher must know of this. Now stand guard over the people until we get the signal to pull out, understood, private?"

"Yes, sir," said the trooper quietly and with respect, "No one else will know the secret."

"Too late…" snickered K-1 with a fiendish grin.

"Either way, all we can do is wait for those troops to move," said Central.


	8. Section 8

**-17-**

Mack and Aura waited patiently as Wallace and Arthur continued to clear the stairway entrance of the giant marble boulders.

"The entire room must have caved in over there," said Arthur as he slashed at the marble ruins with his forearms.

"Just keep going," said Wallace as he smashed one rock after another, trying to clear to the path.

"Do you need our help?" asked Mack.

"Please, leave this to us, Mack," replied Arthur.

"If there really is something nasty out there, we will need you and Aura to fight and we need you in top form. Wearing you out to clear these rocks could greatly reduce our chances of getting out of here alive," explained Wallace, "Besides, Arthur and I can't fight very well at a distance as Erureidos."

"Okay, then," said Mack.

"We'll be okay, Mack," said Aura softly and with hope. Meanwhile, Dr. Namwen was sitting in his helicopter, parked on a large glacier, when Ramirez suddenly teleported just outside the copter at Dr. Namwen's side.

"Ramirez?!" shouted Dr. Namwen with shock as a radio in the helicopter crackled to life.

"This is commander Argus reporting," said the commander over the radio, "The recovery team discovered XD002 in the alien's base and have sent him to you. Has XD002 arrived?" Dr. Namwen could not believe his eyes. Not only had Ramirez's colors reverted to normal, but the once-black emerald pendant had regained its bright, green luster. Dr. Namwen was very grateful that at least one of the most powerful Pokémon on earth was still at his command.

"Yes," said Dr. Namwen with twisted delight, "To think I almost gave up on finding him. Good work commander. The strike teams shall begin their attack run shortly. Stand by for the order to pull out of Gardev. That is all." Dr. Namwen faced Ramirez and grinned.

"Now…" said Dr. Namwen with his quiet, raspy voice, "You know what I really seek in the Gardevoir city." Ramirez did not speak, but he started to radiate clouds of darkness about him.

"The head elder…" wheezed Dr. Namwen, "Bring him and the black pendant to me. You know where they are." Ramirez disappeared in a flash as Dr. Namwen faced another Cipher trooper.

"Tell Captain David to get his teams ready," commanded Dr. Namwen, "We will be moving in after XD002 has completed his mission."

**-18-**

Glacian awoke in the middle of the throne room of the palace. He staggered to his feet, dizzy and disoriented. He reached for the top of his head and felt wetness. As he brought his hand towards his face, he saw crimson blood on his fingers. He looked towards the ceiling: a marble rock had fallen from above, injuring his head and knocking him out for a spell.

"At least I don't have a concussion," thought Glacian as he tried to regain his composure and surveyed the badly damaged room, "What happened? How could an earthquake have struck this city? There have never been earthquakes here. Not for millennia, unless…unless Cipher has something to do with this! I need to warn Mack, Aura, the elders and the Elite Guard!" Glacian staggered towards the throne room entryway as he surveyed the giant cracks in the walls. He stopped in his tracks, halfway across the massive room, when he heard the familiar quiet, rustling of a Gardevoir's gown, dragging ever so softly along the floor.

"Who's there?" asked Glacian. No one answered. Instead, Glacian stepped back as his great-great-grandson, Ramirez, entered the room.

"Ramirez? Are you okay?" asked Glacian with shock, "Mack must have purified you after all with his wondrous machines!" Ramirez did not answer. Glacian gazed more carefully at Ramirez and took a few steps back when he learned the horrible truth.

"Ramirez is still under Cipher's control," thought Glacian with immense fear.

"You will come with me, Glacian," said Ramirez coldly, "You can come quietly, or I can…" Ramirez suddenly stopped talking.

"Huh? What is it?" asked Glacian.

"Help me…" said Ramirez as he doubled over. Glacian noticed that the emerald pendant was now glowing brightly as Ramirez seemed to return to his senses.

"Ramirez! What do you need me to do?" asked Glacian, trying not to panic.

"Get…Mack and Aura…!" pleaded Ramirez as he fell on his knees, "Don't…let me get…the…black…pendant!" Glacian's eyes opened wide as Ramirez spoke.

"Those fiends are after the black pendant! Who knows what Cipher would do with such an evil relic?!" thought Glacian frantically as Ramirez stood back up: the pendant's bright glow had vanished.

"You will come with me and get the black pendant," said Ramirez in a monotone voice.

"Never!" shouted Glacian as he readied a psychic blast, "You tell that fiend, Dr. Alvin Newman, to leave my city and my people alone, or so help me, I'll have to destroy him!"

"Error detected," said Ramirez without emotion, "You called Master Namwen by the wrong name. That demands punishment." Before Glacian could react, Ramirez thrust both of his hands forward, firing a thick beam of pure darkness into Glacian. Mack and Aura were still waiting for Wallace and Arthur to clear the doorway when they heard Glacian scream.

"The head elder!" shouted Wallace.

"Glacian…?" asked Aura with great fear.

"Come on, double-time it!" commanded Wallace as he and Arthur continued to clear a path with renewed vigor.

"This should do it!" shouted Arthur as he smashed the last giant boulder of Marble into pea gravel. As the small group ran into the corridor, they noticed that the ceilings of the giant corridors had caved in more than they had expected.

"Great! Now what do we do?" asked Arthur impatiently. Mack looked around the area as his implanted mini-computer displayed a 3D map of the palace.

"We need to find a way to the throne room, now!" said Wallace frantically as he surveyed the crumbled walls. Mack pointed to another buried entryway.

"That's stairwell should take us the right way," said Mack as he carefully gazed at the map, "We'll head to the third floor, straight across the hallway, down the next stairwell, through the basement and then up through the left staircase into the throne room," said Mack.

"You heard him!" snapped Aura, "Now get cracking!"

"Yes, malady!" replied Arthur and Wallace as they started kicking and smashing the marble boulders. Minutes later, Simon staggered out of the rubble from one of the palace walls. He dusted himself off and noticed that Mewtwo was holding several, much larger chunks of marble in the air, keeping them from landing on Simon.

"Do you have any idea what is going on?" asked Simon as he quickly regained his composure.

"We just had an unnatural earthquake," said Mewtwo gruffly as he carefully set the marble boulders back on the ground, "I'm going to go summon the Elite Guard."

"Then I'll go door to door and make sure everyone is alright," said Simon.

"Be careful out there, my friend," warned Mewtwo, "I sense other Pokémon out there, but for some reason, they are armed with strange weapons. Good luck to you." Mewtwo dashed across the palace grounds and out of sight as Simon ran out the remains of the front gate. In the distance he could hear hundreds of Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir, screaming in terror. Simon could barely make out small flashes of red light coming from further out in the city.

"Pokémon with 'Strange' weapons is it?" thought Simon with delight and determination, "Bring them on! They'll give me the best workout I've had in centuries!" An unusual sound quickly caught Simon's attention. He looked skyward and saw a Gardevoir flying in the air: it was carrying another Gardevoir on its back and holding an object in its right hand. The mysterious object seemed to be radiating some of the blackest darkness Simon had ever seen in all his years of traveling and fighting.

"Whatever they're up to, I can't reach them now," thought Simon as he faced back towards the city's crumbled buildings. The screams and shouts from the psychic Pokémon was getting louder as the bright red flashes of light got closer. Simon ran down the block and peered through the window of one of the shattered buildings. Inside, he saw a Gardevoir couple and their children: two Kirlia and one Ralts.

"Mommy, I'm scared," said one of the Kirlia as she embraced her mother.

"Sssh," said the mother Gardevoir gently, "Just stay quiet. We'll be okay." The father Gardevoir held his other children close, ready to protect them when suddenly; three Pokémon dressed in strange armor and covered with weapons burst through the front door of the building, pointing their rifles at the Gardevoir family.

"Don't you dare touch my mate or our children!" snarled the father Gardevoir as he tried to focus his power, but with no effect on the attackers. The armed Pokémon rushed forward and knocked the father Gardevoir to the floor with their rifles effortlessly, as the young Kirlia and Ralts screamed.

"I'm…so sorry…my love…" said the father Gardevoir weakly, "I…couldn't stop them. My powers…don't work on them…" Simon growled with anger.

"They must be wearing those psychic jammers that Mack told me about," thought Simon.

"Just leave us alone!" pleaded the mother Gardevoir as the armed Blaziken, Gardevoir and Mr. Mime forcefully separated the mother from her children.

"Just come along quietly," said the Blaziken angrily.

"We will not!" snapped the mother.

"You will," said the Blaziken with impatience, "Or else." The Gardevoir and Mr. Mime pointed their rifles at the young Kirlia and Ralts. The Blaziken pointed his own weapon towards the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Instantly, a bright flash was followed by a loud "BOOM!" as marble shards flew about the room. The rifle had blasted clean through several feet of solid marble. The young Pokémon dropped to the floor and shrieked. Simon had seen enough. His claws trembled as his rage increased. Simon leapt forward, claws first, smashing through the cracked wall effortlessly. The armed Pokémon quickly faced the Kabutops with shock.

"HAVE YOU NO HONOR?!" screamed Simon with incredible rage as he body slammed the heavily armed Gardevoir, instantly knocking him to the ground unconscious.

"That Kabutops spoke!" shouted the Mr. Mime.

"Just take the family and go!" snapped the Blaziken. With that, the Blaziken charged at Simon while the Mr. Mime fired a shoulder-mounted cannon at the Gardevoir family: they disappeared with bright flashes of red light.

"Capture cannons?" thought Simon, "I thought Mack said they had all been destroyed!"

"Zap the Kabutops!" ordered the Blaziken. Before the Mr. Mime could react, Simon charged forward, claws first. He swatted the Mr. Mime with the blunt edges of his claws, sending the Mr. Mime high into the air.

"Oh, shoot!" said the Blaziken as he opened fire with his own capture cannon. Simon quickly grabbed the armored Gardevoir under its arms and jumped behind a wall. The red bolts of energy glanced harmlessly off the white marble. Simon pointed one of his claws towards the sky. Moments later, a powerful lightning bolt fell towards the Blaziken, nearly hitting him.

"Ack!!" screamed the Blaziken as he started to run from the enraged Kabutops, "Retreat! All members of Beta Squadron: retreat!"

"We've already captured all Gardevoir families in the sector. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point immediately," said a voice over the Blaziken's radio, "Alpha team has secured the palace throne room. They should be heading back shortly." Simon gazed at the fallen Gardevoir as the Blaziken ran down the street, around o corner and out of sight. Simon used his claws like a can opener, peeling off the Gardevoir's armor and weapons. He then used some of the soother metal to bind the Gardevoir's wrists and ankles.

"That'll hold you for awhile," thought Simon as he dashed away from the comatose Gardevoir, hoping to maybe save other psychic Pokémon. Perhaps a few had managed to escape the lost family's fate? He stopped and focused his senses, trying to pick out other Pokémon from the rubble. Much to his dismay, he could sense nothing but the retreating Pokémon soldiers. Simon then walked back to the fallen Gardevoir soldier. Simon knelt next to the Gardevoir and carefully placed his right claw on the soldier's forehead.

"I've been teaching myself this technique for years. Time to see if I can really use it," thought Simon as he tried to read the Gardevoir's mind, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Simon jumped back, repulsed at what he discovered. Just then, Mewtwo rounded the corner and faced Simon.

"I couldn't find any Ralts, Kirlia or Gardevoirs on the other side of the city. What happened here?" asked Mewtwo, "And why did you have to beat and bind this Gardevoir?"

"He's not really a Pokémon," said Simon with disgust, "Just look at these weapons and the remains of his armor. Whatever he is, he's working for Cipher."

Mewtwo scowled at the fallen Gardevoir.

"We have to find Mack and Aura, now!" shouted Mewtwo, trying not to panic.

**-19-**

Mack, Aura, Wallace and Arthur continued onward through the crumbled palace. Much to their relief, none of the stairwells or hallways had collapsed. As they came to one of the throne room stairways, Mack had Wallace and Arthur stay at the bottom of the stairway as he and Aura slowly climbed the stairs. As they carefully poked their heads into the large throne room, they could see twelve Pokémon, covered with armor and weapons. They did not seem to notice Mack and Aura.

"The palace is secured, sir," said a Golduck through his radio, "Our next stop will be the treasure room."

"Good," said a familiar voice, "Once you get to the treasure room, take whatever you and your squadron can carry. Legends say the Gardevoirs in this city have some of the finest gold and jewels in the entire region. Also, capture the fallen guard Pokémon at the treasure room entrance. I'm quite curious to learn more about this new species."

"Our comrades must have fallen," said Wallace as he and Arthur walked up to Mack and Aura, staying hidden from the Pokémon soldiers' view.

"That was Dr. Namwen's voice," growled Mack, "These Poke' Soldiers must be what that madman was seeking all along."

"You mean?" asked Aura fearfully.

"Yes," said Mack grimly, "These soldiers must be the result of Dr. Namwen's Project Omega. No wonder he needed my blood for this. When I was captured I was still in the middle of my transformation into a Gardevoir. That was probably all he needed for his research. Not just that, but to transform humans into Pokémon would take technology almost as powerful as mine. No doubt Dr. Namwen was able to pry more of my secrets from my S-100 armor."

"Should we get up there and attack?" asked Arthur. Mack took a careful look at the Pokémon soldiers.

"Looks like they have capture cannons on them," said Mack, "If they hit you with those weapons, its all over. You better let Aura and I handle this. Let's clear them out and then go to the treasure room."

"But, we were once captured with one of those cannons, Mack. What makes you think we'll stand a chance?" asked Aura. Mack just smiled at Aura.

"Because, this time, there are two of us and, most importantly, we can both use the power of our pendants," said Mack with a grin, "These crackpots won't know what hit them." Aura grinned and got herself ready to attack.

"On three?" asked Aura.

"On three," said Mack as he prepared to jump into the air.

"THREE!!" shouted Mack and Aura at once as they jumped into the air. The soldiers jumped with shock as the two Gardevoirs flew above.

"Leave this place now and we won't hurt you," warned Mack, ready to blast the soldiers.

"Get them! Use the capture cannons!" shouted the Golduck with fright. Before the soldiers could react, Mack and Aura's pendants began to glow brightly.

"Open fire!" commanded the Golduck as his comrades fired the capture cannons; however, the red bolts of energy deflected harmlessly off an unseen barrier.

"What kind of power is that?" asked a Machamp as he continued shooting at the two Gardevoirs.

"I'd like to know why they're wearing wedding dresses!" shouted a Breloom.

"Better try something else, corporal, our cannons aren't working!" yelled a scared Hypno.

"Let's take them down, Aura!" said Mack with resolve as he and Aura dove towards the soldiers, firing beams of explosive light at them. The soldiers flew about the room like bowling pins as Mack and Aura relentlessly fired their destructive light about the room. The soldiers soon dispersed, knowing they could not match the Guardians in power. They went running out of the throne room with great haste.

"They must be the Guardians of Gardev!" shouted the corporal Golduck, "Retreat back to the rendezvous point! We have no means to defeat them."

"Wasn't that supposed to be the occupation force's job?" demanded the Machamp as he and his comrades continued running away from the palace with Mack and Aura right on their tails.

"Let them go, Aura, for now," snarled Mack as he and Aura slowly descended to the marble street below. Aura listened carefully and focused her power: she could not sense any other Gardevoirs or their children in the entire city.

"Back to the palace," said Mack as he and Aura quickly ran back into the palace, meeting up with Wallace and Arthur.

"What happened out there?" asked Wallace.

"Everyone must have been kidnapped by those soldiers," replied Mack with anger, "Let's get to the treasure room." With that, the small group dashed down the hallways. Fortunately, the corridors in this area of the palace had not collapsed. They arrived at the treasure room, discovering two fallen Erureidos.

"Vladimir! Daniel!" shouted Arthur as he ran to the sides of his unconscious friends. Wallace took a close look at the Erureidos.

"They're alive…barely," said Wallace with despair, "There's no way they can come with us like this. I wonder what on earth happened to them."

"Let's heal them, Mack," said Aura softly. Mack nodded and they approached the fallen guards. Mack placed his right hand on Vladimir's forehead while Aura did the same with Daniel. Wallace and Arthur watched in awe, marveling as the Guardians and their friends radiated a bright, white light. Moments later, the light faded as the two Erureido guards awoke, healed of their wounds.

"Daniel…your were right," said Vladimir as Mack helped him to his feet, "The Guardians did come for us."

"Thank you both, very much…" said Daniel as Aura gently helped him up. Mack sighed.

"A heck of way to spend our honeymoon, isn't it Aura?" asked Mack sarcastically.

"I agree, honey," replied Aura with a smile, "From mutant Pokémon soldiers to earthquakes: isn't it romantic?" Mack laughed, feeling relieved.

"What happened to you?" asked Wallace with concern.

"A Gardevoir walked up to us: he was dragging Glacian behind him. When we tried to stop the Gardevoir from getting into the treasure room, he shot us with a blast of this dark power. We were completely defenseless," explained Vladimir.

"He was also wearing the emerald pendant," said Daniel with sadness, "Why would the relief Guardian attack us or harm Glacian, our head elder?"

"Ramirez!" said Mack with shock, "Cipher must have broken into my lab! That's the only way they could have captured him!"

"Was the Gardevoir black? Was the pendant's stone dark, too?" asked Aura.

"No. The Gardevoir had his normal colors and the pendant was green," answered Daniel.

"Did you say Ramirez? Doesn't he live here in the city?" asked Vladimir.

"Aura, how about you tell them what happened while I check the treasure room," said Mack as he ran into the treasure room, holding his skirt with one hand. Before long, he stood at the glass cases in the middle of the giant room. The gold, platinum, silver and gems had not been touched, neither had Glacian's or Gloria's wedding attire. Mack still sighed with despair when he noticed that the black pendant had been taken.

"Dr. Namwen must have had Ramirez kidnap Glacian and steal the pendant. What would happen if Dr. Namwen himself tried to wear the pendant? Would his evil powers become unstoppable?" thought Mack as he quickly ran back to Aura and the Elite Guards.

"We need to get back to Gardev. Hopefully Central and K-1 weren't captured," said Mack. The Erureidos agreed, but Aura was silent.

"I can sense something," said Aura quietly, trying to concentrate, "Mewtwo and Simon are nearby. We should go meet up with them." The rest of the group agreed and then followed Mack and Aura as they ran for the palace wall entrance.


	9. Section 9

**-20-**

Dr. Namwen laughed maniacally at this pleasant sight: Ramirez had returned with the city's head elder, Glacian. Most importantly, however, Ramirez had returned with the black pendant. The evil relic floated in Ramirez's left hand as he set Glacian, still unconscious, on the snow outside the helicopter.

"Splendid, Ramirez!" said Dr. Namwen with glee as he snatched the pendant from Ramirez's weak, telekinetic grip, "At last, the powers of the black pendant are mine!" Dr. Namwen placed the pendant over his neck. He erupted with evil laughter as he thrust his right hand towards a nearby chunk of ice, hoping to blow it apart with the power of darkness.

"What's going on here?" snarled Dr. Namwen as he feverishly flung his arms around, trying to unleash the legendary destructive powers of the pendant, "Why can't I use the powers of this ancient relic?!" The radio in the copter crackled back to life.

"Sir, all Omegaling squadrons are reporting back at base camp, sir. They should arrive at your chopper in a few minutes," said the voice.

"Splendid. I'll be awaiting their arrival," said Dr. Namwen with delight. The only thing he could not figure out at the moment was why he could not wield the pendant, but also why no one had reported seeing the Guardian couple.

"No matter…" thought Dr. Namwen, "Glacian can tell me how to use the pendant. It will be a real joy getting him to talk." The squadrons of Omegalings gathered around Dr. Namwen.

"Mission complete, sir," said Captain David. Dr. Namwen took a closer look at the soldiers, noticing that Alpha squadron had been in a major fight.

"And what happened to you?" asked Dr. Namwen to the group leader. No one spoke.

"You will tell me what happened out there!" demanded Dr. Namwen. The soldiers remained quiet with their heads hung low, too embarrassed to admit what had happened.

"Fine!" snarled Dr. Namwen, "I'll do this the easy way!" Dr. Namwen focused his own power, trying to read the minds of the soldiers in Alpha squadron.

"What's this?!" shouted Dr. Namwen with extreme surprise, "You were all defeated by a pair of Gardevoirs in wedding dresses?! How utterly humiliating: some of my finest warriors, defeated like that! How?!"

"Well…" stammered the group leader, "They were wearing these really shiny pendants. Our weapons were completely useless against them."

"Pendants?!" shouted Dr. Namwen, "So that's where the Guardians were after all. To think that I believed they would be in Gardev." Dr. Namwen glanced at Beta squadron, noticing that one of the soldiers was missing.

"And where is Corporal Andre?" demanded Dr. Namwen with anger, "I believe my orders were that all units return to base at all costs."

"He was captured, sir," replied the Blaziken, "This Kabutops interfered with our capture of the last Gardevoir family in the city. He attacked us without warning, knocked Andre out, captured him and then he drove us away."

"A Kabutops…" said Dr. Namwen with fear, "No! It couldn't be! How could Simon have wound up here?! Why didn't you try and recover Andre?"

"That Kabutops was shooting lightning at me! There's no way I could defend myself from that!" said the Blaziken, trying to explain himself.

"Lighting, eh? Then it was Simon. That Kabutops is always trying to learn attacks which people believe no Kabutops can learn," grumbled Dr. Namwen.

"What are you orders, sir?" asked David.

"You and the rest of the Omegalings will head back to base to help secure the prisoners. We will have our Gardevoir army, make no mistake of that!"

"And what of the Guardians and that Kabutops, Simon?" asked David.

"I'll let Cecil deal with them," answered Dr. Namwen as he placed a strange helmet over his head, "This will be a perfect opportunity to test my latest invention. I simply call it The Puppeteer: it will let me control all of Cecil's moves via my thoughts. I'll also be able to see and hear whatever Cecil notices." As Dr. Namwen pressed a button on the side of the helmet, Cecil, the black, armored Gardevoir, stepped out of the helicopter.

"We'll be awaiting your return, sir," said David as the Omegalings piled into other helicopters.

"David, you and Alpha squadron will stay here and guard me," commanded Dr. Namwen, "I can't be disturbed. Operating this device requires almost all of my concentration." David watched as Cecil vanished with a bright flash.

**-21-**

Minutes later, Mack, Aura, Wallace, Arthur, Vladimir and Daniel met up with Mewtwo and Simon.

"You're late," said Simon with a smirk. Simon pointed to the Gardevoir on the ground nearby that he had captured.

"We'll take him back to my lab. If all went well, those Cipher agents were not able to steal any of my machinery, aside form the S-1, S-4, S-5 and the S-12," said Mack as another Gardevoir appeared above them with a flash. The Gardevoir had a device the size of a small crate on its back. It was also wearing a gleaming helmet. Meanwhile, Dr. Namwen was adjusting his new machine as he saw what Cecil was looking at.

"Greetings, Guardians of Gardev," said the Gardevoir through Dr. Namwen's mind, "You've been very difficult to find, indeed. I had hoped that you would have gotten to meet the occupying forces in Gardev. I never imagined that you would be spending your honeymoon here."

"You'd better return all those Pokémon that you captured as well as the black pendant, Dr. Namwen," demanded Mack forcefully.

"You know I won't do that, my dear Guardian," replied the Gardevoir, "The black pendant will make me unstoppable and with my army of Gardevoirs, Cipher shall take over the world!"

"You guys better stay out of this," said Mack to the Erureidos as he glanced over the floating, black Gardevoir, "His dark power could kill you." The Erureidos stepped back as Mewtwo and Simon gathered near Mack and Aura.

"Those are some nice, pretty wedding dresses you and your wife are wearing," taunted the Gardevoir, "You'll look very nice in them indeed once I've put you and your hateful mate into your coffins!"

"This Gardevoir seems familiar," observed Mewtwo.

"A pity I'm not trying to capture you and Simon this time, Mewtwo. I've had enough of your interference," said the Gardevoir as a thick, black aura started to form around him.

"There is something strange about him. I feel like I've met him before," said Aura as she focused her power.

"Give my regards to hell, you worthless beasts!" shouted Cecil as a beam of darkness shot to the ground at Mack and Aura. The two Guardians didn't budge as the dark power vanished as it collided with them. The two Gardevoir had not been fazed by the black attack.

"Of course, how foolish of me…" chuckled the Gardevoir, "The dark power can't harm either of you. I may as well make things more interesting." The Gardevoir pulled two rifles off his back and pointed them at the offending Pokémon.

"Get back!" shouted Mack as the Gardevoir opened fire, sending explosive bullets towards his targets. Mack and Aura dove behind a thick wall, as did Mewtwo and Simon. Mack stuck his head out around the corner and quickly hid again as more bullets came flying his way.

"You know very well that your psychic barriers are useless against my weapons," said the Gardevoir as he continued to fire upon Mack and Aura as they hid. Mewtwo tried to focus his power, trying to get a telekinetic grip and the Gardevoir, but to no avail.

"I can't touch him," said Mewtwo with anger.

"Another psychic jammer," grumbled Simon.

"Simon! We need your help!" shouted Mack as he and Aura held each other close. The bullets were almost getting through the wall.

"Simon! The psychic jammer! You'll have to destroy it!" shrieked Aura. Without another word, Simon leapt into the air, ready to smash the large device on the Gardevoir's back. Simon put his claws forward, ready to destroy the device, when he slammed into a hidden barrier. Simon dropped limply to the ground.

"He couldn't touch him either," snarled Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo, blast him!" commanded Mack as he and Aura stood up, pointing their hands towards the dark Gardevoir as their pendants glowed brightly. Mewtwo jumped out from around the corner and launched a Shadow Ball at the Gardevoir while Mack and Aura shot beams of light at him. The barrier became visible as the powerful energy attacks started to weaken it. The Gardevoir shrieked with fright, rubbing its eyes. Dr. Namwen removed the helmet, rubbed his eyes and then quickly placed it back on his head.

"You'll pay for that!" shouted the Gardevoir with rage as it reloaded his weapons.

"Don't stop blasting him!" shouted Mack as he, Aura and Mewtwo continued to pummel the dark Gardevoir with light and shots of darkness. The Gardevoir laughed maniacally as the attacks continued to glance harmlessly off the weakening barrier.

"Please, you may as well give up," said the Gardevoir mockingly, "Your power is great indeed. Why don't you just join me? I would take very good care of you and your mate, Mack."

"Like you did to me!" screamed Simon with rage as he jumped into the air, slammed through the barrier with his claws and body slammed the Gardevoir. Simon landed softly on his feet as the Gardevoir hit the ground hard. They watched as the Gardevoir flailed on the marble street, trying desperately to get on his feet. Simon flipped the Gardevoir on its back and ripped the psychic jammer off its back. Simon set the device on the ground and buried his claws into it, destroying it.

"Is it another one of those Omega soldiers?" asked Aura.

"No," said Mack as he ran up to the fallen Gardevoir, "It seems like it's under mind control or something." Mack, Aura and Mewtwo ran alongside the fallen Gardevoir, tore the weapons out of its grip and held it firmly to the ground.

"Try and get the helmet off!" commanded Mack. Simon took Mewtwo's place, holding the Gardevoir down with the blunt edges of his claws. Mewtwo used telekinesis, trying to carefully remove the helmet, but he couldn't get it off.

"I don't know what this thing is made of, but I can't get it off," said Mewtwo as he relaxed his telekinetic grip. Mack glanced at the helmet: it was seamless, but the forehead seemed to be the thinnest and possibly the weakest part.

"Simon, hit the forehead on the helmet! That should split it in two!" said Mack as he and Aura kept the Gardevoir pinned to the ground. Simon positioned himself over the Gardevoir's faceplate. Suddenly, Simon bent down quickly, hitting the helmet with a mighty head butt. Elsewhere, Dr. Namwen screamed from the deafening sound as Simon's head bounced off the helmet faceplate with a loud "KLANG!" Simon sat of the ground, disoriented.

"Try again," said Mewtwo, "This time, with your claws."

"Take your time, Simon," said Mack, "We can hold him down." Mack quickly sensed that the Gardevoir was preparing to use a psychic attack on them. Mack glanced at Aura. She nodded her head in agreement to an unsaid order. With that, the Guardian's pendants began to glow brightly again as they countered the Gardevoir's psychic energy. Simon readied himself as he put the edges of his claws against the helmet's faceplate.

"AAAARG!!!" shouted Simon as loudly as he could as he slammed his claws against the helmet with all the strength he could muster. Back at the glacier, Dr. Namwen screamed with agony, ripping the helmet off his head. He rubbed his eyes, snarling from the pain. The helmet lay on the ground with its visor smoking. Back in the Gardevoir city, Mack and Aura released their grip on the Gardevoir as it lay limply on the ground. The helmet had been cleaved neatly in two, but Simon had managed to not injure the Gardevoir. Mack could finally concentrate enough to gaze at the mysterious Gardevoir carefully. A familiar dark aura appeared around the Gardevoir.

"Another shadow Pokémon," said Mack as he focused his power. The Gardevoir glowed brightly with a white light. Aura gazed at the Gardevoir as the dark aura slowly vanished. They looked on as the Gardevoir blinked its eyes. The mysterious Gardevoir faced the Guardians and then glanced at Simon and Mewtwo.

"Thank you…very much…" said the Gardevoir weakly in a very familiar voice. Mack, Simon, Mewtwo and Aura knew this voice all too well.

"Cecil?!" shouted Mack. Mewtwo started to gather his power, ready to slam another Shadow Ball into Cecil.

"Mercy! Please have mercy on me, Guardians of Gardev!" begged Cecil as he fell on his face before Mack and Aura.

"Enough, Mewtwo," said Mack as he glanced at the mighty psychic Pokémon, "There's nothing he can do to us now." Mewtwo let his ball of dark energy dissipate as Cecil, on his knees, gripped the front edges of Mack and Aura's skirts.

"I know you can't forgive me for what I've done to you both," said Cecil, "I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I was wrong. I beg for your forgiveness, especially you, Aura, for what I put you through…"

"It's a trick," said Simon hastily. Mewtwo placed his right hand on Simon's shoulder.

"You can't see it can you?" said Mewtwo gruffly, "This man is actually being sincere."

"May you please at least let me tell you what happened?" asked Cecil, bowing his head in disgrace.

"Go ahead," said Mack, "I, for one, would like to know how you came under the control of Dr. Namwen."

"To say the least, Dr. Namwen tricked me," explained Cecil, "Blinded by my rage, I agreed to be part of a secret experiment to turn me into a Gardevoir, using some DNA he had obtained from XD002, a member of the Guardian family. I got my wish and then some. Not only had he turned me into a Gardevoir, but I could no longer speak to any of the people under my command. Dr. Namwen had managed to silence me and then put me through the shadowfication process while I was still awake! Before I succumbed, I saw a vision: the Guardians of Gardev would be my only chance of escape. I now know the error of my ways. You've helped me, even though I didn't deserve it, now I want to help you strike back at Cipher. I never want there to be a Shadow Pokémon in the world again…" Aura glanced at Mack as Cecil continued to hold onto their skirts.

"Mack, part of being a Guardian of Gardev is knowing when to extend mercy to your enemies," said Aura.

"I know, Aura," said Mack as he looked down on Cecil, "I forgive you, Cecil."

"Me too," said Aura softly as Mack helped Cecil back on his feet.

"Thank you…" said Cecil gratefully.

"And how will you help us?" asked Simon skeptically.

"I will help you get to the last Cipher facility in the entire Gardev region. As long as they haven't changed the access codes, we should be able to go anywhere in there," explained Cecil, "You can trust me on this."

"I don't doubt your loyalty Cecil," said Mack with resolve.

"Mack, I think we should get back to Gardev," said Aura, "Make sure everyone there is okay."

"Mewtwo, I want you, Simon and what's left of the Elite Guard to head back to Gardev. Aura, you and I are going to take one last look in the treasure room," said Mack. Aura nodded her head in agreement. As the hiding Erureidos gathered around Mewtwo and Simon.

"Then, I'll take them to Gardev straight away," said Mewtwo gruffly. A few moments later, Mewtwo and company teleported back to Gardev with a bright flash. Before long, Mack and Aura had run back into the treasure room.

"What are we doing here, Mack?" asked Aura with a smile as she held the front of her skirt with her left hand, "Did you want to spend the night here, alone with me?" Mack blushed nervously and smiled at Aura.

"As much as I would like to, no, my love," said Mack sweetly as he held Aura's right hand, "I just wanted to take one last look at the glass cases." Soon, they were standing in the middle of the treasure room, gazing at Glacian's and Gloria's wedding attire. Aura sighed.

"They're so beautiful…" said Aura with delight as she gazed at the wedding dresses and jewelry.

"Glacian would have given them to us for our wedding," said Mack as he carefully searched the empty case, "The only problem is that the tiara is missing. Glacian didn't want to give these to us with one of the most important pieces missing." Aura opened one of the cases and ran her fingers along the soft white groom's dress.

"If only you could have worn this…" said Aura with a devious smile, "Just look at these diamonds: everyone could have seen just how pretty you really are!" Mack laughed nervously, "Look, there is just no way could you or anyone else have gotten me to wear that! I'm nervous enough just walking around in the dress I already have!"

"Wouldn't you have at least worn this pretty dress just for me?" asked Aura tenderly.

"I suppose I would, if it would have made you happy," said Mack as something caught his eye at the bottom of the case.

"Did you find something, honey?" asked Aura sweetly as she came up from behind Mack and wrapped her arms around him.

"'Dr. Namwen seeks to use the black pendant. You must stop him at any cost. He'll soon know how to wield the dark pendant: He'll have to become…'" said Mack, trying to read the message that had been hastily scratched into the bottom glass panel.

"Become what…?" asked Aura gently as she held Mack tightly.

"I have no idea…" said Mack with despair, "Ramirez must have regained his senses just long enough to carve this message here, but he couldn't finish it." Aura could sense Mack's anxiety and uneasiness. Aura giggled as she playfully pulled Mack off his feet and onto a mountain of smooth gold with her.

"Mack," said Aura softly as she held him tightly, "I know you can't think well when you're frustrated and I don't like seeing you when you're this anxious. Why don't we stay here for awhile and relax? Just you and me, honey…" Mack blushed and turned about, coming face to face with Aura as he wrapped his arms around her. He gazed at his beautiful mate as she lay in a sea of gold and gems: by far, Aura was the greatest treasure Mack could have ever found.

"As you wish, my princess…" said Mack sweetly as he kissed and embraced her passionately, "After all, we didn't say when we would actually get back to Gardev now, did we?"


	10. Section 10

**-22-**

An hour had gone by and the Cipher troopers had quickly packed up and left Gardev without a fuss. Finally, K-1 and Central could walk into town. K-1 glanced back and forth at the townspeople as they walked towards the town square.

"Looks like no one was harmed," said K-1 and he and Central arrived at the town square.

"Very good," said Central happily. They soon came across Warren, Jake, Alexander, Aurora, Anna, Enrique, Fredrick, Sakura, Li, Simon and William. They noticed that an unfamiliar Gardevoir was sitting on the ground near the memorial. Mewtwo had his right hand on the Gardevoir's forehead, trying to read the Gardevoir's mind.

"And who is this?" asked K-1 with curiosity, "Did he come from the hidden city?"

"No," replied Mewtwo, "His name is Cecil and his mind is very tortured. He was one of our greatest enemies, but now he only wishes to help us, to make amends for what he has done."

"What?! This Gardevoir is Cecil?!" shouted Alexander with great anger, "Isn't he the one who tortured my daughter?! Mack told me all about him!" Cecil cowered behind Mewtwo.

"He only wishes to help us now. Even the Guardians of Gardev have forgiven him and trust him," said Mewtwo.

"I…I just want to make up for all the trouble I've caused your family," said Cecil with grief.

"Mack and Aura believe in him; therefore, so should we," said Mewtwo firmly.

"Thank you, Mewtwo," said Cecil as he walked alongside Mewtwo, "I'm going to help the Guardians land the finishing blow to Cipher. I can get to places they can't in the last facility in the Gardev region. We should also be able to rescue your eldest son, sir." At that moment, Mack and Aura teleported into the town square, much to everyone's surprise.

"Did we miss anything?" asked Mack, carrying Aura. Aura's eyes were closed and she smiled blissfully as she laid her head on Mack's chest.

"Hey…" said Aura softly as she opened her eyes and looked around, "Where are the Elite Guards?"

"They went back to the city to try and find anyone who managed to escape," said Simon grimly.

"I hope they find at least one Gardevoir family in the city…" said Mack with a sigh.

"We were just discussing how we should attack Dr. Namwen's facility," interrupted Mewtwo.

"Then we should take this conversation to the lab," said Mack, "Everyone can come." With that, the group followed Mack and aura back to the large, hidden laboratory. As they entered Central's main control room, Central walked the S-100F back into the hidden compartment, sealing the door. Within minutes, she was back in the powerful super computer.

"Online," said Central, "All systems are intact."

"Now, then," said Warren, "We now know where Dr. Namwen's facility is but how are we going to deal with them?"

"The security systems are top of the line, but there are several weaknesses that not even the top Cipher administrators know about," explained Cecil, "Even if I can't use my old access codes, any strike team we send should still be able to explore the facility via the air ducts. There are no sensors of any kind in the ventilation system, not even laser tripwires. The going would be tough, but we could still sneak around in the facility practically undetected."

"Even so, there's still so much we don't know," said Mack as he paced about the room, "What did Dr. Namwen want with Eric? What about those so-called 'Black Darts?' Where on earth did he get them from?" Simon was getting more and more intrigued as he learned more about the facility and as more light was shed on some of Cipher's secret plans.

"Plus," interrupted Simon, "We still have to deal with our friend, Andre." Simon pointed to the Gardevoir as he sat on the floor with his wrists and ankles still bound with twisted metal.

"Indeed," said Alexander, "Perhaps he can tell us more about how that madman turned humans into Pokémon."

"You can't get me to talk!" growled Andre with anger, "And there's nothing you can do that will ever make ME spill the beans!" Aura glanced at Mack and grinned mischievously at him.

"I don't know…" said Aura as she approached Andre, "What do you think, Mack? I say we get Andre into the prettiest, fluffiest wedding dress we can find and have him parade down the streets of Alakaz during rush hour." Andre gulped with fear, not expecting this kind of torture.

"Why stop there?" asked Mack with cruel laughter, "Why not add some bracelets, earrings and a cute tiara to the equation?"

"Hmmmmm!" said Aura with a fiendish smile, "A flowing lace headdress would also look fine on him…" Andre shrieked loudly from sheer terror.

"Okay, okay!" shouted Andre with contempt, "I'll tell you everything I know!"

"You'd better," said Aura, "Or you'll be walking about in white satin, fluffy petticoats, lace and diamond jewelry for the next week."

"We could always upload pictures onto the Internet while we're at it," said Mack with a smirk.

"Okay, listen up!" said Andre, "I'll be honest: Dr. Namwen transformed me and forty-eight other Cipher agents into super-soldiers. We're known as Omegalings: a group of secret squadrons. Dr. Namwen injected each of us with some sort of strange serum, which would transform us into Pokémon. The whole idea was to give humans the powers of Pokémon."

"That's explains more about the nature of Project Omega," said Mack, finally understanding Dr. Namwen's plans.

"That's all I really know about it," said Andre, matter-of-factly, "I wasn't told anything else about Project Omega."

"How about the attack on Gardev, the Gardevoir city and the raid on my lab?" demanded Mack.

"I'll go fetch the dress!" said Aurora with enthusiasm.

"You don't have to tell me twice, sheesh!" said Andre as he shook with fear, "Okay, the job of the Omegalings was to capture all Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts in the hidden city and send them back to base. Apparently, Dr. Namwen wants to turn them into some sort of army. However, he also wants to start some sort of breeding program with the youngest and strongest Gardevoir couples."

"That monster!" shouted Alexander with disgust. Aurora held Alexander close.

"But that's not all," said Andre, "The rest of them will be turned into shadow Pokémon, one family at a time. After that, they will all be Cipher's merciless army. However, that's not all that was planned: the recovery team was sent here to recover XD002 as well as any of some sort of alien technology that they could find here."

"That would explain the theft of my aircraft and the _Firefox_," grumbled Mack.

"You…you're that alien?" asked Andre with disbelief, "Why you're not an alien at all, just a Gardevoir."

"Technically, I am an alien. I'm from another dimension," said Mack, "Now, tell me more about Cipher's plans."

"You really are from another dimension?" asked Aura.

"I should have told you more about me sooner," said Mack as he held Aura's hands, "You're my mate. I'm not going to keep any secrets from you." Anna glanced at Andre.

"Can I do his makeup?" asked Anna with glee.

"You will do no such thing!" snarled Andre, "Anyway, Dr. Namwen wants to try and reverse-engineer as much of your technologies as possible. As for the occupation forces in Gardev, their job was to find the Guardians of Gardev and use these Black Darts on them. The thick concentration of black energy would be enough to turn them into more XD series Pokémon. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case."

"And why do you say that?" demanded Mack.

"I don't know. I guess I'm scared of what Cipher will do next out of desperation. After all, we got word a few hours ago that the shadow Pokémon factory in the Orre region had been permanently shut down by some kid," explained Andre, "Call me a traitor, but I don't want a part of their plans anymore."

"And that's all you know?" asked Mack.

"I think he'll like the feeling of those soft, fluffy petticoats under his skirt," said Aura sadistically, "Not to mention a lace garter on his thigh. A pretty bride just can't go without that."

"That's all I know!" said Andre, shaking nervously.

"Very, well," said Mack, "Mewtwo, unbind him." Mewtwo nodded his head, focused his power and then carefully removed the smooth, twisted metal from Andre's limbs with telekinesis.

"Are you just going to…let me go?" asked Andre uneasily as he stood up.

"We can't, but perhaps you can prove your loyalty by helping us with our attack. We intend to shut Cipher down for good," said Mack.

"Then I'll do whatever I can, just as long as you change me back!" pleaded Andre, "Wearing this white skirt is really making me nervous."

"But I think it looks cute on you," said Anna with a smirk.

"And that's exactly what I'm afraid of…" said Andre with a frown, "Drawing too much attention from female Gardevoirs…"

"Okay, then," said Mack as he walked away from Andre, "I'll change you back into a human with this is all over."

"Now, you guys weren't actually serious about dressing me up as a bride, were you?" asked Andre nervously.

"I would have had nightmares about it, but yes," said Alexander with a scowl, "Putting a male Gardevoir into female wedding attire is just…wrong!"

"I find it strange that you say that," said Mack as he ran his fingers over the silky, shimmering bodice of his own wedding dress, "There doesn't seem to be much of a difference."

"Then how about you wear MY wedding dress tomorrow then, Mack," said Aura with a grin as she embraced Mack, "Let's have you try on my tiara right now, just to make sure it fits."

"Okay, Aura!" said Mack with nervous laughter, "I get your point!" The group of four Erureidos suddenly entered the room at that moment.

"We got word from Jake that you're going to attack Cipher, right? We want to help. As the Elite Guard it is our duty to protect and preserve the citizens of the Gardevoir city," declared Wallace.

"Did anyone manage to escape?" asked Mack.

"I'm afraid not," answered Wallace with grief, "We looked everywhere in the city and the surrounding mountains: not a single Gardevoir, Kirlia or Ralts escaped from the city. That is why we want to strike back at Cipher as soon as possible!"

"We still need a decent plan, though. The Omegalings will be too much for most of you to deal with. It took everything Aura and I had to repel them," explained Mack.

"Wait!" said Andre, "Dr. Namwen just used some sort of serum to turn me into a Pokémon. Couldn't you use me to find an antidote to change the Omegalings back into humans?"

"I like the way this guy thinks," said Mewtwo.

"Plus, we could use my rifles to make some darts that could pierce cleanly through the energy shielding of the Omegalings. That's one way we could take care of them," explained Andre.

"That should work nicely," said Central, "Using a sample of your blood and enough time should yield a suitable serum, indeed. It should only take me a matter of hours to synthesize the antidote in large quantities."

"Then that's what we'll do," said Mack as he looked around the room, trying to find Simon, "And where did Simon run off to?" Everyone glanced at each other, puzzled at Simon's unexpected disappearance.

"He must have run off when we weren't looking," said Warren, "He pulled the same stunt on me when I was lecturing him about being more careful with his oversized claws in my house. I turned my back on him for a few seconds and Poof! he was gone."

"I'll get to work on that antidote," said Central as the fans in her processing array started spinning at full speed.

"I should be able to modify Andre's rifles," said Mack.

"I'll go fetch those weapons with Andre," said Mewtwo, "Simon left them back in Warren's office."

"We better get some sleep afterwards. We can't really get the job done right without enough sleep," yawned Mack as he took Aura up in his arms, "Feel free to sleep anywhere in the lab that's comfortable." With that, Mack carried Aura into his room and closed the door while everyone else either went to their homes or found a good place to sleep in the giant laboratory. They all hoped to put an end to Cipher's atrocities and rescue the captured Gardevoirs and their families, soon.

**-23-**

Eric finally awoke. He was disoriented and his vision was very blurry. The area about him seemed to be very familiar.

"What happened to me?" thought Eric as he rubbed his eyes. This felt very foreign to him: it seemed like some of his fingers were not working properly.

"The last thing I remember is getting kidnapped by those Cipher troopers," thought Eric uneasily as his vision started to clear, "Where on earth am I?" As he vision cleared, he noticed that he was in the middle of some sort of large capsule with thick, glass walls with a metal floor and ceiling.

"Oh, no…" thought Eric with fear, "I know this design…" Eric slowly looked down at his body: the green arms, the red fin in his chest and white gown were unmistakable. Eric gazed at his hands then placed them on his head, feeling the thick, soft green hair. Eric screamed with despair.

"That madman…he finally did it! My horrid brother finally did it!" thought Eric with great fear, "His Project Omega was successful after all, but what does he want with me?!" Eric looked towards a nearby doorway: another Gardevoir was standing in the open doorway, staring at him.

"Did you break out?" asked Eric frantically, "Good! Get out of here! Head to Gardev and get the Guardians! Surely you know who they are!" The Gardevoir erupted with a cruel, dry, eerie, raspy laughter.

"You really don't recognize me, do you my friend?" said a familiar, evil voice, "I am your superior brother, Dr. Namwen. Once again, the better sibling has won out."

"What have you done to me?!" demanded Eric with rage, "Change me back, now!" Dr. Namwen laughed maniacally once again.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Dr. Namwen with an evil smile, "After some close studies on the Omegalings, I discovered that they were actually much weaker than the average Pokémon. Only their weapons and armor give them an added edge. It appeared that combining human DNA with Pokémon DNA would indeed result in a transformation and the gaining of a Pokémon's abilities, but the overall strength was sub-par at best. So, instead, I used the same process on you and me and that I used on Cecil to completely change us into Pokémon and not just any Pokémon, but Gardevoirs."

"You must have tricked Cecil," snarled Eric.

"Indeed I did. By now, the Guardians have made short work of him," laughed Dr. Namwen, "And to think that fool thought the Guardians would actually save him! Ha!"

"I doubt the Guardians would kill him," said Eric, "They have more mercy and compassion than all of Cipher combined!"

"Either way, I have completely rebuilt our DNA structures," said Dr. Namwen with twisted happiness, "Now you, Cecil and I are of the Guardian bloodline. Isn't this wonderful, brother? You and I will no longer be plagued by our petty human frailties again. There is no turning back now: we will be some of the most powerful Gardevoirs until the end of our days!"

"And why did you do this to me?" demanded Eric with great anger, "Why did you think it would be a good idea to fuse us with the Guardian's DNA?!"

"Your worthless ethics have made you squeamish, weak and foolish," said Dr. Namwen, "Tell me: have you ever heard the legend of the Black Pendant?" Eric's eyes opened wide.

"You didn't…" stammered Eric, "You couldn't have…!"

"But I have, dear brother," said Dr. Namwen, "The black pendant is in my possession. With its power, I will kill the Guardians. Then you and I can take their pendants and rule all Pokémon and humans alike!"

"The black pendant was rumored to be in a hidden Gardevoir city," said Eric, "That means…"

"The city has fallen," said Dr. Namwen with delight, "The Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts all belong to me now and are happily imprisoned in this facility. After all, we can't conquer the world without a powerful shadow Pokémon army now, can we? They will obey orders no matter what and annihilate anyone who gets on our way. There may even be more of those Gardevoir cities on this planet. I'm sure the head elder will gladly tell me where they are after I've broken him."

"You sure are bloodthirsty," growled Eric, "You may as well kill me now! I'll have no part in your horrible plans!"

"You know I could never really harm you," said Dr. Namwen, "I don't want to rule the world alone. Besides, after you've seen the light, you'll be more than willing to help me every step of the way."

"See the light…?" said Eric with confusion. He shrieked when he finally figured out his demented brother's plan.

"Figured it out already, eh?" chuckled Dr. Namwen, "Isn't the mind of a Gardevoir a wonderful thing? Your intelligence has increased at least ten-fold. All I need to do now is infuse you with the right amount of darkness and your worthless morals and fears will vanish."

"You better not break up the Gardevoir families!" snapped Eric, "That would be terrible, even for you!"

"Of course not," said Dr. Namwen, "They'll become shadow Pokémon one family at a time. Won't it be wonderful: entire families going off to battle together? Meanwhile, I'll have to find a way to get the strongest, youngest Gardevoir couples to breed more soldiers."

"The Guardians won't stand for this and you know it!" shouted Eric at the top of his lungs, "Just wait until they get through with you!"

"That is precisely what I'm expecting," cackled Dr. Namwen, "When they arrive, I'll just use the powers of the black pendant to kill them. That is, if XD002, the Omegalings and the rest of the soldiers don't obliterate them first!"

"What's wrong with you?!" screamed Eric, "You were so kind, so loving a few years ago. What happened to you? My brother, Alvin, would never do anything so…so… utterly evil!"

"You bring up a good point," said Dr. Namwen coldly, "I'll just have to use some black darts on the Guardians instead. Then they won't die, but will become our most powerful soldiers. I'll have to figure out a way to get shadow Pokémon to mate before long…" Dr. Namwen started to leave the room.

"Come back here and let me out!" yelled Eric, pounding on the capsule walls.

"And don't worry about your Alakazams," said Dr. Namwen, "After I'm finished with you, you will be all too eager to have them turned into even more shadow Pokémon." Dr. Namwen left the room, laughing as he closed the thick, metal door behind him. Eric fell on his knees.

"Mack…Aura…" said Eric with despair, "Please hurry…please save my brother…"


	11. Section 11

**-24-**

Using Cecil's directions, Simon had managed to find the hidden Cipher facility within a matter of hours. He could sense an evil presence from somewhere in the facility. He checked the satchel on his right shoulder, making certain that he had everything he needed as he lay on the ground, surveying the facility.

"Better stay away from that evil presence now matter what. It's immensely powerful," thought Simon as he stealthily approached the fence around a building as large as an airplane factory. He glanced about carefully, his keen eyes noticing a myriad of security cameras and laser trip wires. He scoffed at the security sensors and chuckled with glee.

"I might actually enjoy this," thought Simon with delight. The ancient Kabutops loved a challenge and in all his years, challenges were becoming more and more scarce. Simon started to move his claws back and forth rhythmically.

"Please…work…" thought Simon as he tried to use Metronome, hoping for the right move. Moments later, Simon vanished from sight, "Perfect: Acid Armor. They won't even see me coming." Simon jumped over the fence. He grinned as he blatantly stepped into a laser tripwire: the light bent around his body and continued on, not even triggering the alarm. He ran across the open yard for a nearby air vent, carefully removed the cover and slipped into the air duct, quickly putting the cover back in place. Simon then used a weak telekinetic grip to pull a small device out of his satchel and switch it on. The small object followed Simon, floating in the air as the Kabutops quietly climbed through the air ducts.

"I hope Mack doesn't mind that I borrowed one of his 3D Mappers. With this I should be able to map out this entire facility in a matter of hours," thought Simon as he continued to crawl through the ventilation system. The going was slow, but soon he had a decent floor plan for much of the building. He stopped at a nearby vent to peer through: he gasped as he saw a gargantuan machine in the middle of a huge room. Panels on the machine lit up with a pulsing, yellow light.

"That looks like it might be useful," said Simon to himself as he used his telekinetic powers to pull a small camera out of his satchel to take a picture, "Mack should probably take a look at this." Simon continued onward with camera and the mapper following close behind. An hour later, Simon was starting to get a cramp from crawling about in the dusty ventilation shafts. He carefully looked through another air vent, discovering what looked like an office of some sort. Simon focused his power, seeing if he could sense any people or guard Pokémon nearby: there was nothing.

"May as well take a break in here," thought Simon as he kicked the vent cover off and jumped out of the shaft to the floor. There wasn't much to this office: just a few bookshelves, a coffeemaker, a wooden desk, a large safe the size of a bookshelf, a computer and what seemed to be a very expensive office chair. Simon walked over to the terminal and used his telekinetics to move the black computer mouse across the desk.

"Please, don't be password protected," thought Simon as the screen turned on. He hoped he had learned enough from watching Mack and Aura as they used computers. Amongst the various files listed on the computer screen, a single object caught his attention.

"JournalEntry#234748kHz16-bit.wav?" thought Simon, "I wonder what this is?" he double-clicked the icon and before long, the digital audio file started to play. Simon instantly recognized Dr. Namwen's unsettling voice.

"Project Omega has proven successful. The alien's blood was indeed the missing link and the serums have proven completely successful. Nevertheless, I can't completely disregard my findings with Project Lambda. My first attempt to give humans the powers of Pokémon seemed promising. The serums I devised from this project could have been used to augment humans with various Pokémon powers and abilities with less detectable changes in physical appearance. Much to my disappointment, the very soldiers destined to receive and field test my discoveries managed to steal all five of the most potent serums about a month ago. They had not been perfected yet and I can only imagine the results. I almost wish I had been there, laughing at their pain and turmoil as they transformed into, theoretically, a hybrid Pokémon/Human life form: AKA: a Poke'morph. This group of five elite soldiers, calling themselves the Star Battalion, managed to escape with their Pokémon as well. No one was even able to get a glimpse of them. Anyway, the Star Battalion is long gone by now. The good news is that I finally have my brother in custody. I'll have him turned permanently into a Gardevoir as well as myself. I wonder why I made this decision so hastily, but most likely, it is because of the injuries I suffered earlier today outside the Gardevoir city. Now, I am blind and have to use my powers of telepathy constantly, having to use my Alakazams as extra sets of eyes. After my transformation, my physical ailments should vanish and I can take my plans to the next stage. It seems that the only way to convince my brother to join me in my eventual conquest is to repeat the same accident that greatly improved my own powers and removed various human frailties, such as morals and ethics. They only hinder progress. I know the Guardians will come for me soon, trying to shut down the rest of Cipher. I'm ready for them, though. In the safe, I've placed a custom rifle and the only two black darts I could make. With these, I shall turn the Guardians of Gardev into more XD series Pokémon. After that, I will infuse Eric with the dark power. After that is complete, I will use some of the last Project Lambda serums on us, further increasing our power. I must make certain that I don't load the wrong darts into the gun or else I may end up giving the Guardians even more power. Master Greevil was a fool to take on the people of the world with such a lack of personnel and equipment. Soon, my armies of Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoirs will emerge and through them I shall bring the world to ruin and under my rule. Soon, Eric will be all too eager to help me in my plans of conquest. It will be just like old times: working hand in hand with my dear brother. Still, I don't know why I dislike him so. No matter. I have a job to do and very little time to get my plans set. I must be going now…" with that, the audio recording cut off. Simon glanced at the large safe.

"Time to make a withdrawal, then," thought Simon as he placed a claw on the safe and used his powers of telekinesis to carefully crack the safe. With his sharp senses, he could easily tell how far to turn the knob on the old, metal safe. Minutes later, there was a loud click as the lock disengaged. Simon opened the safe: on the shelves he saw the rifle and two darts that had a golden, glowing color to them. He picked up the rifle, opened the magazine and plucked out two darks. The two, 4-inch long darts seemed to be radiating darkness.

"I'll make sure these things never get used," thought Simon as he put the darts in his satchel and quickly loaded the glowing darts into the rifle. He closed the magazine and noticed a discolored area in the safe. He forced open the hidden panel and gasped at what he saw: Simon had discovered a tiara made out of platinum with diamonds on it that were even larger than the ones on Aura's tiara. Simon placed the tiara in his satchel, shut the safe door and then quickly jumped back into the air vent as he telekinetically lifted the cover back in place.

"If all goes well, they'll never notice the switch or the missing darts," thought Simon, "May as well use that madman's own research against him for once." Half an hour passed as he came upon another air vent. He peered in and saw a room full of computers and control consoles.

"Three to one, that's the master security control room," thought Simon as he once again had something float out of his satchel. He kicked out the vent cover and tossed a high explosive grenade into the room.

"5…4…3…2…1…" thought Simon, counting down as he scrambled to get away from the room. Moments later, a loud explosion shook the entire building as every alarm in the facility went off.

"Music to my ears!" thought Simon with delight, "I hope Mack won't miss that grenade. It should take days for those Cipher peons to get everything fixed up in there." Simon, no longer caring if he was noticed, went thundering through the ventilation system. He had the mapper float close to his face and he quickly surveyed the 3D readout.

"Looks like I have the entire floor plan mapped out," thought Simon as he noticed how the 3D map suddenly stopped at one point, "There must be much more to this place underground. I haven't even seen the power generators yet!" Simon continued to move as quickly as possible through the vents as he had his camera and mapper float back into the satchel. Before long, Simon had reached his point of entry. He was about to kick the vent cover off when he heard some familiar voices.

"56!" "67!" "78!" "89!" "101!" "131!" "242?"

"What's going on? There must be more of us than I thought!" said another voice.

"How come we can never figure our how many of us there are?" complained another voice. Simon cautiously glanced through the vent cover: he soon discovered six young men. Their uniforms each had a distinct, single color to them.

"Great…" muttered Simon, "The Power Rangers…"

"I say we try again!" said Blusix.

"And still come up with some stupid, whacky number? No way!" said Greesix.

"Hey! Did any of you hear those alarms?" asked Blusix.

"What alarms? Remember? We're taking an emergency role call!" said Redsix, "Now count off again!"

"We should have stayed in the Orre region," complained Greesix.

"What was that?!" demanded Redsix.

"Nothing!" said Greesix, "One!"

"Two!" said Blusix.

"Three!" said Redsix. Simon had had enough of this. He kicked the vent cover off and jumped out of the vent towards the Hexagon Brothers.

"Simon says: SHUT UP!!!" shouted Simon as loud as he could as his body started to glow with a bright yellow, orange and reddish light.

"What's that Kabutops doing?" asked Redsix.

"If I had to guess, I'd have to say," said Blusix as the light got brighter and brighter, "…Explosion…" Suddenly, a gigantic explosion lit up the area for miles as a giant fireball appeared about Simon, sending the Hexagon Brothers into the air. They landed hard on the ground, over fifty yards away.

"We should have stayed in the Orre region…" complained Greesix again.

"Yeah…" muttered Redsix, "You're right…" Meanwhile, Simon had managed to regain his composure and he started to run away from the giant building as fast as he could. He looked back as Cipher agents swarmed out of the building and onto the yard.

"Sayonara, storm troopers," laughed Simon to himself as he stopped running a few miles away from the facility. He glanced towards the mountains: the sun was beginning to rise.

"Time to get back," thought Simon as he teleported away.

**-25-**

Mack was standing in front of Central's main control console. The time was now 6:35 in the morning. Aura smiled as she brought Mack a cup of coffee. She held the skirt of her wedding dress with her other hand as she approached Mack.

"Thank you, my love," said Mack softly as he took the mug from Aura's hands.

"You're welcome, honey," said Aura with a smile as she wrapped an arm around Mack, holding him close. Andre stood nearby with a bandage, wrapped around his elbow.

"How can you stand to wear that dress?" asked a perplexed Andre, looking at Mack's shimmering wedding dress.

"Its Gardevoir tradition," replied Mack as he continued to happily sip his coffee, "It just took some getting used to."

"Besides, he looks so cute in white satin…" sighed Aura blissfully as she held Mack tightly.

"Analysis complete: Here is the chemical structure," said Central as a model of a bizarre molecule appeared on the screen, "According to my analysis, the Omegalings' DNA structure can be altered using this chemical. Even if the targeted soldier is a different species of Pokémon, this antidote will cause the DNA structure to revert to normal within roughly ten minutes. The first symptom will be a deep sleep as soon as the serum is injected into the blood stream."

"Excellent. We can turn them back into humans," said Mack.

"Could we use this to turn you back into a fox?" asked Aura, "And me into a vixen?"

"I'm afraid not," said Mack, "We are the way we are due to some very unique circumstances. Besides, I rather like the idea of spending a century in a mostly quiet town with you, Aura."

"I'll have my chemical synthesizer make several CCs of the antidote at once," said Central. Mewtwo walked out of a nearby room with two rifles, six magazines and a bag of over one hundred empty darts.

"I greatly enjoyed your library, Mack," said Mewtwo as he set the weapons and darts on a nearby table, "I was able to alter these rifles and ammo magazines to use these darts. After this is all over, you, Aura and I should team up together on some inventions."

"I know what you mean," said Mack as he set down his coffee mug and put an arm around Aura, "Rebuilding the S-100I is not going to be easy. Perhaps you can help me with that?"

"First, we all need to come back from our little invasion in one piece," said Mewtwo.

"Thanks for coming with us," said Mack.

"I owe you a great deal," replied Mewtwo with delight, "I learned much from you and your companions during our first encounter." At that moment, Simon suddenly teleported into the room with a bright flash of light.

"Good morning!" said Simon with a smile as he faced Mack and Aura, "I come bearing gifts for the lovers!" Simon handed Mack the 3D mapper and the pictures he took from inside the Cipher facility.

"Very good!" said Mack with delight, "Looks like you managed to map out almost all of the facility." Mack then quickly flipped through the photographs. His eyes opened wide with shock when his gaze fell on a particular picture.

"So that's how they did it…" growled Mack, "I know a Seismic Generator when I see one. Dr. Namwen must have had another one built. That's how Cipher brought the Gardevoir city crashing to the ground with an earthquake."

"They've also taken Eric prisoner. Dr. Namwen turned himself and Eric into Gardevoirs. Now, that madman intends to use a massive Gardevoir, Kirlia and Ralts army to take over the world," explained Simon, "I don't think we have much time to act. Dr. Namwen intends to infuse Eric with the dark power, making his brother as twisted as he is."

"We're pretty much all set to go," said Mack as he quickly filled and loaded the darts into the rifles and the ammo magazines. Just then, K-1 hastily ran into the room.

"Guys! I just cracked the encryption on those Cipher data tapes! I think you all should see this!" said K-1 as he inserted a disk into Central's control console.

"Please make a selection," said Central.

"Surveillance Data #4213," commanded K-1, "Play sections 67 through 89." Everyone watched as a movie started playing on Central's main view screen. They watched with shock as they saw Dr. Namwen on the screen in front of a large computer. Also in the room, was a familiar glass capsule with a metal ceiling and floor. Simon growled when he saw the Pokémon in the capsule: it was a very familiar Kabutops.

"That's me," said Simon gruffly, "I remember this day: Dr. Namwen was going to try the first shadow chamber on me." They watched as Dr. Namwen walked to the capsule with his six Alakazams close behind.

"Just relax," said Dr. Namwen kindly, "This won't take long and shouldn't hurt."

"You don't know what you're doing," pleaded Simon, "Let me out of here!"

"Dr. Namwen sure sounds different in this movie," remarked Aura as she watched the movie closely.

"This is back when Dr. Namwen went by the name of Dr. Alvin Newman," explained Simon, "I was not about to become the first shadow Pokémon, so I fought and managed to break free of Alvin's hideous machine." They watched as Simon drove his claws through the capsule walls. Simon yelled with fury as he shattered the glass walls. Simon went running out of the room as thick clouds of darkness engulfed Alvin and his Alakazams. The security video faded out as Alvin and his Alakazams passed out.

"So that's exactly what happened," said Mack, "Dr. Namwen was indeed exposed to the power of a shadow chamber."

"After that, Dr. Namwen continued to pursue me," explained Simon, "He seemed bent on revenge. That man changed completely over night from a kind, conscientious scientist to one of the foulest, most evil humans I have ever had the misfortune of getting to know well."

"We'll have to purify him if we can, Aura," said Mack, "That's the only way we're going to be able to save him." Aura nodded her head in agreement as she faced Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo," said Aura, "Would you please gather everyone at the town square?"

"It would my pleasure," said Mewtwo with a bow as he disappeared, teleporting back to Gardev.

"That reminds me," said Simon, "I have some unfinished business in Gardev. I'll be back shortly." Simon ran out of the room to the elevator. Mack faced Aura and embraced her.

"Are you ready to save our friends and our brother?" asked Mack gently as he stroked Aura's back.

"I'll go with you no matter what," said Aura sweetly, "Let's go get them!"

"I'll stay here with Central and try to decode more of those Cipher data tapes and disks," said K-1 as Mack and Aura ran out of the room.


	12. Section 12

**-26-**

Anna sighed with disappointment.

"For the last time," said Alexander firmly, "You and Enrique cannot come with us! This is a job for Gardevoirs and other powerful Pokémon."

"But we could help," complained Anna.

"No! We're going someplace very dangerous. Some of us may even get killed and I do NOT want to have to bury MY daughter in the city tombs!" said Alexander as Aurora entered the room.

"Are you ready, dear?" asked Aurora with a smile.

"Just about," said Alexander as he faced Anna again, "You can stay with Makoto and her daughter, Sakura. I'm sure she would love to play with you."

"Yeah…" said Anna with a sigh, "Even Fredrick and his girlfriend get to go." Alexander grinned at his youngest daughter as he placed his right hand on her left shoulder.

"I'll tell you what," said Alexander, "If, somehow, you and Enrique managed to evolve before we leave, then you can come with us. Alright?"

"Really?" asked Anna skeptically, "But that's impossible…"

"I gave you my word," said Alexander as he bent over and picked up Anna in his arms, "Now, be good while we're gone, okay?"

"Okay…" said Anna with sadness as her father hugged her one last time before he and Aurora walked out of the room. Enrique sat on the bed silently.

"You really shouldn't argue so much with your parents," said Enrique.

"I know…" said a depressed Anna, "But I really wanted to help them."

"Perhaps you can help me," said Enrique as he leapt off the bed and in front of Anna, "Would you like to dance with me? We could use the practice." Enrique gave a polite bow as Anna giggled with delight.

"Okay!" said Anna with happiness as she grabbed Enrique's right hand.

"Not so fast, kids," said Simon as he walked into the room.

"Hello, Simon! What brings you here?" asked Anna as she held Enrique's hand. Simon stared at Anna.

"You're really quite ugly, you know that, Anna?" said Simon bluntly and with guile.

"What did you say?!" shouted Anna.

"Hey! Don't make fun of my friend!" snarled Enrique.

"And what are you going to do about it, small fry? Dance at me?" said Simon with sarcastic fear.

"Don't make me hurt you, Simon…" growled Enrique angrily, "No one makes fun of my friend and gets away with it."

"It looks like ugliness, just like misery, loves company!" shouted Simon in a foul tone, "You two are, by all means, the most hideous couple of stupid, little Kirlia I have ever seen!" Enrique and Anna screamed with rage as they charged at Simon, hitting him in tandem with Thunder Punches. Simon dropped to the ground unconscious.

"That…was too easy…" said Enrique with disappointment. Suddenly, Enrique and Anna were enveloped in a bright, white light. The light soon faded, revealing a pair of Gardevoirs. Anna looked down at her green hands. She gazed at her new, white gown and green hair with glee.

"At least I have something to thank that idiot for," said Anna with a smile as she faced Enrique, "Now we're Gardevoirs, we can get married!"

"Um…" said Enrique nervously, "I think we should wait a few years before our wedding. Besides, I really need to ask your father if I can marry you." They glanced at the spot where Simon had been laying on the floor, but he had disappeared. They suddenly felt something heavy land on their shoulders.

"Now, you can come with us," said Simon with a grin as he then moved his claws off Anna's and Enrique's shoulders.

"Now you're gonna pay for insulting us!" said Anna with anger as she got another Thunder Punch ready.

"Is this how you thank someone for helping you two evolve?" asked Simon, "Your temper really is a handicap for you. One day, maybe you can learn to control it better. I was just razzing you, trying to get you two angry enough to attack me with everything you had. You knocked me out, thus, you are now Gardevoirs. I believe your father said you and Enrique could come with us if you evolved before we left, didn't he, Anna?"

"Yes," replied Anna as she let the electricity vanish from her arm.

"Then let's get moving. Mack and Aura will be arriving shortly in the town square. Mewtwo is going to teleport us to the facility," said Simon. Anna and Enrique ran after Simon as he left the room and Warren's house. The four Erureidos, Wallace, Arthur, Vladimir and Daniel followed close behind. Before long, they had arrived at the town square. Alexander and Aurora almost fainted when they saw their daughter and her boyfriend as fully-grown Gardevoirs.

"But…how did that happen?" asked a shocked Alexander.

"Simon helped us," said Anna with a smirk, "And I believe you said that we could come with you if we managed to evolve before you all left."

"Besides," said Enrique with sadness, "I really want to help my mom and dad." Just then, Mack, Aura, William, Xavier, Mewtwo, Fredrick, Sakura, Andre and Li arrived at the town square. Simon still seemed skeptical of Mack and Aura going to battle in their wedding attire.

"I really think you two should change into your Gardevoir gowns before we go. They would be much more suitable for battle," said Simon. Mack and Aura glanced at each other and grinned. Before Simon could say another word, the two Gardevoir lovers jumped into the air. Simon and the others watched with disbelief as Mack and Aura performed one acrobatic feat after another: back flips, sliding and jumping about before each of them landed on one knee in front of Simon. Mack and Aura bowed gracefully as Simon stood still, amazed. Aurora giggled with delight.

"That was a splendid performance!" said Aurora happily.

"Can Aurora pick out good wedding clothes or what?" asked Alexander with a smile as he embraced Aurora. Mack and Aura stood back up and grinned at Simon.

"Good enough for you?" asked Aura.

"Okay," said Simon with disbelief, "You should be just fine in your wedding attire, then."

"It is Gardevoir tradition to wear our wedding attire during our honeymoon," said Mack as he wrapped his arms around Aura, "We can't go against tradition now, can we?" Aura laughed with delight as she embraced Mack.

"We're going to go kick their butts in style!" said Aura with a fiendish smile as she and Mack kissed. Aurora smiled at Alexander.

"Won't it be nice when we're grandparents?" asked Aurora as she winked at Alexander.

"I'll be looking forward to that," said Alexander softly as he held Aurora close.

"Okay," said Mewtwo, "Enough of this love stuff. We have a job to do."

"Let's go get out friends back," said Aura with resolve.

"Hold on Glacian, Eric and Ramirez," said Mack as Mewtwo started to focus his power, "Here we come!" Warren and Jake looked onward as the group of Pokémon vanished with a bright flash of light.

"God be with you all…" said Warren solemnly.

**-27-**

Glacian awoke to find that he had been strapped to a table. He tried to focus his power and break free from his restraints, but he could not manage it. Something in the room was squelching his power to an unimaginable degree. He turned to his left as a Gardevoir entered the room.

"You escaped? Good! Get back to Gardev and get the Guardians!" shouted Glacian frantically. The Gardevoir erupted with evil laughter.

"You disappoint me, Glacian," said Dr. Namwen, "Eric made the same error, thinking I was here to free him. My name is Dr. Namwen and I am in charge of this facility here."

"What do you intend to do with me and my people, you fiend?" demanded Glacian.

"I'll have Eric explain the details to you after I've exposed him the dark power of a shadow chamber," said Dr. Namwen, "All you need to know for now is that I intend to turn your people into the most powerful army on the planet." Dr. Namwen pressed a switch on a nearby console and a metal panel to Glacian's right opened, revealing the massive prison area. Glacian gasped as he gazed at the Gardevoirs and their children.

"Let them go or you will have to answer for this!" snarled Glacian with rage.

"I won't do that, but perhaps I can ease your own pain if you will tell me what I want to know," said Dr. Namwen.

"Hurmph!" scoffed Glacian.

"I'm well aware that there are more hidden Gardevoir cities in the world. My army will need more psychic soldiers, Glacian. If you would just tell me where they are, you can prevent something horrible from happening," explained Dr. Namwen. Glacian glared at the insane scientist.

"Something terrible has already happened, Dr. Namwen," said Glacian, "To you."

"I see you don't want to be civilized about this," said Dr. Namwen with glee, "Most delightful! I'll be right back!" Dr. Namwen left the room with great haste. As he entered the adjacent control room, he faced one of the technicians.

"What have you observed so far?" asked Dr. Namwen.

"All the captured Pokémon have been fitted with restraining collars, as you ordered. Those new Pokémon that were brought in, we managed to identify them as species #475: Erureido. They have incredible physical strength and speed, but right now, they are also very angry and powerful. It took all four squadrons of Omegalings to restrain the lot of them," explained the technician.

"And what of the Gardevoirs and their families?" asked Dr. Namwen with enthusiasm, "What else have our scientists observed?"

"Well, many of the Gardevoir couples in the prison, both male and female, are wearing ornate wedding dresses. The male's dress is simpler than the female's and the females are also adorned with jewelry and a lace headdress of sorts. We managed to get a closer look at their trinkets and have determined the jewelry to be made of high-grade precious stones and some of the highest quality gold. A few of the females in wedding attire don't seem to have mates, though. Perhaps the Erureidos are their mates," reported the technician, "We also noticed that the Gardevoir families are staying close to their children."

"We must have disrupted quite a few weddings!" said Dr. Namwen with glee, "Excellent! As soon as the Gardevoirs are put through the shadow chambers, be sure to extract their jewelry. We should be able to sell it for some very high prices. Also, have the troops go in and thoroughly analyze the Gardevoir couples before any go through the shadowfication process: their job will be to find the strongest of the young couples. We'll need them for my new breeding program."

"Okay," said the technician, "Anything else?" Dr. Namwen gazed into the prison area. His eyes soon fell upon one Gardevoir couple in wedding attire: the female appeared to be holding a very young Ralts in her arms.

"Get THAT Gardevoir couple and their child into a cell," ordered Dr. Namwen as he pointed at them, "I having something special planned for them."

"We'll have that done immediately, sir!" said the technician as he radioed one of the prison guards. Dr. Namwen watched with an evil smile on his face as the two Gardevoirs and their Ralts were led away. Minutes later, Dr. Namwen arrived at the cell with four armed guards behind him. The Gardevoir couple took a few steps back as the mother held her Ralts close.

"I believe I have need of this!" shouted Dr. Namwen as he tore the young Ralts from its mother's embrace. The Ralts screamed with fright.

"NO!! Please don't take Erica!!" screamed the mother Gardevoir as her mate charged at Dr. Namwen. The guards rushed forward and struck the male Gardevoir to the ground and beat him with their rifles repeatedly. She watched helplessly as her mate laid on the ground, badly injured. The mother Gardevoir dropped to the ground next to her wounded mate and placed her hands on him, crying as the guards left the room behind Dr. Namwen, sealing the door. Erica was crying loudly and trying to wiggle free from Dr. Namwen's grip as he walked down the hallway. The technician stopped in his tracks when he saw the young Ralts in the scientist's hands, crying loudly with fear.

"What on earth did you do in there?!" demanded the technician angrily.

"Back to your post," commanded Dr. Namwen, "This does not concern you." Meanwhile, Glacian had watched as the young Gardevoir couple was led away by the guards. Now, he could hear a young Ralts screaming.

"What is that psycho doing now?!" thought Glacian with disbelief, "How could he take a young Ralts from its mother?" Dr. Namwen walked into the room with Erica in his arms.

"I've brought you some company!" said Dr. Namwen with glee.

"I beg you!" pleaded Glacian, "The little one wants her mother! Please, take her back at once!"

"I'm afraid that Erica's mother is busy tending to her dying mate," said Dr. Namwen with an evil grin, "I do hope that he survives. My, my, those troops laid quite a beating on him!"

"You monster!!" shouted Glacian with rage, "If I could break out of here, I would kill you myself!!"

"I know you would," said Dr. Namwen as he gently placed Erica into a strange machine.

"Now what are you doing?" demanded Glacian.

"I'm going to conduct a little experiment," said Dr. Namwen as he walked over to a control console, "I wonder what the pain tolerance for a Ralts is?"

"That Ralts is only a few months old! You can't possibly…!" shouted Glacian.

"But I will," said Dr. Namwen, "Just tell me where the hidden cities are and I'll return this little one to her mother. I'll even have my medical team tend to her father." Glacian glanced at Erica, crying loudly for her mother. He then gazed at his people, trapped in the monstrous prison.

"Better decide quickly," said Dr. Namwen with his finger hovering over a red button, "I don't know what will happen when that Ralts is hit with three hundred volts and her father is lying on the floor of his cell, dying." Glacian screamed, writhing with anguish.

"3…" said Dr. Namwen. Glacian stared at Dr. Namwen with pleading eyes, begging him not to go through with it.

"…2…" said Dr. Namwen. Glacian closed his eyes, hoping and praying.

"…1…!" said Dr. Namwen. Glacian clenched his fists. He knew that if Dr. Namwen knew where the other cities were, even more Gardevoirs and their children would suffer the same fate. Suddenly, Dr. Namwen jumped back from the console as an alarm sounded.

"Dr. Namwen!" said a trooper's voice through the PA system, "We have an unauthorized entry at the main gate!"

"Who is it?" demanded Dr. Namwen.

"We don't know! We still haven't been able to get the perimeter security systems repaired! One of the troops must have sounded the alarm manually," explained the trooper frantically. Dr. Namwen faced Glacian with a big grin on his face, knowing very well who would dare to attack his facility.

"Business before pleasure," cackled Dr. Namwen, "I'll be going now. I need to roll out the welcome mat for the Guardians. I'll leave you two alone for now. Bye!" Dr. Namwen ran out of the room, leaving Glacian and Erica alone. Glacian faced Erica as she continued to cry out in fear.

"It's okay now, Erica," said Glacian. Erica stopped crying at the sound of Glacian's gentle voice.

"Yes, you remember me. I was there with your parents when you were born," said Glacian tenderly, "We'll be okay: the Guardians of Gardev are here to save us."

"The Guardians?" asked Erica softly.

"Yes. You know who they are," said Glacian, "Just be patient, Erica. The Guardians won't leave us here and they are not going to let your father die." Outside the room, Dr. Namwen walked up to David, the Mewtwo commander of the Omegalings.

"Get the rifle from my office. It's already loaded. Meet the rest of the squadrons in the corridors. Now move!" ordered Dr. Namwen as David went running down the hallway with haste.


	13. Section 13

**-28-**

Mack and Aura surveyed the scene: with a combined effort, they had knocked out every Pokémon and Cipher agent swiftly.

"Looks like one of them still managed to trigger the alarm," said Alexander as he and the rest of the group of Pokémon ran for the giant building.

"I got five of them!" said Xavier boastfully as he flew high above his friends.

"I got seven!" said Simon with pride.

"Okay," said Mack, "We'll have to split up here."

"Not just yet," said Simon as he produced the Pokéball he had won back at the Alakaz tournament. He threw the Pokéball to the ground: with a bright flash, a Mawile appeared.

"Hello!" said the Mawile happily in a feminine voice, "My name is Mei-lin!" Li went slack-jawed as, for the first time, he laid eyes on a female Mawile. Simon quickly threw his other Pokéballs to the ground, releasing Nox, Gremlin and Phoenix.

"Play time already, eh?" said Gremlin with a mischievous grin, "So, when do I get to kick some Cipher butt?"

"Soon," replied Simon, "Now we can split up."

"Okay," said Mack, "Aura and I will bring up the front. We'll be able to neutralize any Omegaling threat. Xavier, William, Alexander and Aurora will come with us for support. As soon as all if the Omegalings are down, Wallace, Arthur, Vladimir and Daniel will head to the prison to break out all the captured Pokémon."

"I'm with Mei-lin!" said Li as he ran alongside Mei-lin.

"And what's your name?" asked Mei-lin with a friendly smile.

"I'm…I'm…" stammered Li, "Li! Nice to meet ya!"

"Could we spare the pleasantries?" said Mewtwo gruffly.

"Okay, Sakura, Fredrick, Li, Mei-lin, Anna, Enrique and Andre: you will have to get to the main security room and shut everything down. Simon, you and your team will follow close behind mine and Aura's team to make sure we don't get flanked. Got it?" asked Mack.

"I'll go with you, Mack," said Mewtwo sternly.

"Okay," said Mack, "Cecil you will come with us. We'll need you to open any secured doors. Everyone else can blast them down. Aura and I won't have much time to spare." Aura grinned at Mack as she faced the rest of the group.

"Today's magic word is…" said Aura, "CHARGE!!!" The groups of Pokémon quickly bashed down the front door and split up in the hallways, each group heading to their goal.

"What if the Omegalings go after the other groups?" asked Alexander with concern.

"Dr. Namwen never was much of a strategist, according to his brother: that madman will just send all the Omegalings after me and Aura. It's gonna take everything they have to even slow us down, especially with our new toys," said Mack as he cocked his rifle. Aura quickly cocked hers as they ran down the hallway. Just then, a full squadron of Omegalings jumped into the middle of the corridor.

"Take them down!" commanded a Hitmonlee. Mack and Aura pointed their weapons at the Omegaling soldiers and pulled their triggers. A flurry of darts went sailing down the hallway, striking the soldiers.

"Hey what is this stuff?!" demanded a Hitmonchan as he quickly ripped the dart out of his arm.

"Corporal, I'm not feeling so good!" said a Breloom as he dropped to the ground. Before long, the entire squadron was lying on the floor, asleep.

"One down, a few more squadrons to go," said Mack as he and Aura quickly changed their ammo magazines.

"Nice shooting, honey!" said Aura as she winked at Mack.

"You too, princess," said Mack with a smile as they continued running down the hallway. They came to a stop at a thick, locked door.

"Cecil if you please," said Mack.

"You got it, Mack!" said Cecil as he jumped forward and quickly entered the access code. As the door started to open, Simon shouted.

"Incoming from the rear!" exclaimed Simon as he and his team rushed forward. Mack, Aura, Alexander, Aurora and Cecil watched with amazement as Simon and his friends quickly defeated the entire squadron in less than five minutes.

"That was kinda fun!" said Gremlin with glee.

"Certainly a lot better than those peons outside," said Nox. Mack and Aura walked up to the fallen soldiers, firing a single dart into an arm of each soldier.

"You could have saved us a few of them, Simon," said Aura with a smirk.

"Mack, Aura!" shouted Alexander, "We need help up here!" Two more squadrons of Omegalings were rushing down the hallway to confront the intruders.

"We've got 'em!" shouted Mack as he and Aura unloaded on the Pokémon soldiers. Before long, they all dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.

"That should be all of them, according to Andre," said Mack as he and his mate quickly changed ammo magazines again.

"But we still haven't seen the Omegaling captain!" said Cecil as he entered another access code to open another locked door. The door opened and the group dashed down the hallway. Mack was starting to wonder if something was wrong: they were heading deeper and deeper into the facility unopposed now. Soon, they were stopping in front of another secure door.

"You know what to do," said Mack to Cecil.

"We're coming for you, Dr. Namwen, so you better be ready!" said Cecil triumphantly as he entered in another access code, but this time, all he got was an electronic buzz.

"Is something wrong?" asked Aura. Cecil re-entered the code, but again, only got an electronic buzz.

"Shoot! They must have caught onto us and changed the access codes!" said Cecil as the previous doors suddenly closed behind them.

"We're trapped!" shrieked Aurora.

"Just relax," said Alexander as he held his mate close, "Fredrick and Sakura will be able to help us."

"They better be quick," said Simon, "The longer we stay here, the more time Dr. Namwen has to plan a counter-attack."

**-29-**

Dr. Namwen watched on a computer screen in a control room as the doors behind the Guardians and their friends were sealed off.

"That's one smart Gardevoir," said the technician, "He knew all of our access codes. Good thing the people in the MSCR (Master Security Control Room) got them changed so quickly."

"So, Cecil was rescued by the Guardians after all," said Dr. Namwen, "And now that fool is helping them."

"They won't be able to get out of there, sir," said the technician, "All psychic jammers in the base have been activated." Dr. Namwen smiled.

"Double the guards at the MSCR. They split off into three teams. Have some soldiers cut off the group of Erureidos at the prison," commanded Dr. Namwen.

"Sir, over half our forces were neutralized at the surface. Should I call for outside reinforcements?" asked the technician.

"No need for that. I'm more than prepared for the Guardians this time. I'll be right back," said Dr. Namwen as he walked towards the room where Glacian was being held. He entered the access code, but nothing happened. 

"Give me the new code, now!" shouted Dr. Namwen.

"I'm not getting a response at the MSCR!" said the technician frantically.

"No matter," said Dr. Namwen, "I'm going to meet up with Captain David. I want to watch the Guardians suffer as they're turned into shadow Pokémon." Meanwhile, Glacian was listening closely to the conversation in the adjacent control room. He focused his senses: he could feel Erica's father slipping away. He faced Erica, and tried to reassure her.

"Just wait a little while longer," said Glacian to Erica, "They're almost here."

"That bad man is gonna fail," said Erica bluntly.

"You can see it too, eh?" said Glacian softly, "Yes. Dr. Namwen has no idea what's about to happen. The Guardians are going to receive their gift."

**-30-**

Wallace, Arthur, Vladimir and Daniel had run down the corridors without as much as a single fight. They soon stopped in front of a large, thick door.

"According to Andre and Cecil, this should be the prison entrance," said Wallace as he pointed at the door, "Let's break it down!" The squad of Erureidos began pounding at the door with their large, forearm blades with machinegun precision, sending sparks flying all about the hallway.

"It's too strong, sir!" said Arthur as he continued to pound on the door.

"We're not even denting it! What on earth is this thing made of?" asked Vladimir.

"It's no good," said Daniel as he and his friends stopped trying to tear apart the door, "We'll need help from the Pokémon heading for the security control room."

"Quiet!" said Wallace, "I sense something." He focused his senses, concentrating.

"What do you feel?" asked Arthur.

"A Gardevoir is in grave danger through that door," said Wallace with concern, "We need this door opened and to get the Guardians here quickly!"

**-31-**

Mack and Aura sat on the floor, gazing at each other, trying to make the most out of their situation. Alexander sat on the floor with Aurora on his lap while Cecil continued his effort to decipher the access code.

"Only 7,965 combinations left," said Cecil as he vigorously tried one code combination after another, trying to get the door open. Simon was pacing back and forth as his friends tried to relax.

"Okay…" said Cecil as he tried another combination, "Here goes! I think this is it!" Cecil pressed the last button, only to get a familiar electronic buzz.

"How about I just blast it?" asked William impatiently.

"I don't think so!" snapped Cecil.

"Just keep trying," said Mack, "There's no rush."

"No rush he says?! What a load of…!" said Cecil as he pounded the control panel with his left fist. The moment his hand struck the control panel, the door began to open. He looked at the moving door, dumbfounded.

"…Success!" shouted Cecil with joy.

"Let's move!" said Mack as he and Aura dove under the door.

"Stop!" shouted Mewtwo sensing danger, "It's a trap!"

"Wait for me!" shouted Simon, not hearing Mewtwo's warning, as he jumped under the door, just barely getting through as the door slammed shut. The room was pitch-black.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Mack.

"I think we're in big trouble. Stay sharp," warned Simon. Mack could not even see his hand in front of his face through the darkness.

"Mack…" said Aura fearfully as she found Mack's right hand and gripped it tightly, "I don't like this at all…"

"Just stay with me, Aura," said Mack softly, "We'll be okay." Without warning, Mack heard a soft whoosh immediately followed by a shriek.

"Mack!" said Aura frantically, "There's something in my hand!" Aura quickly yanked the offending object out of her hand.

"Are you okay?" asked Mack.

"I don't feel so good, Mack…" said Aura as she flopped onto the floor.

"Aura!" shouted Mack as he felt something sharp strike his left hand. He quickly pulled the dart out of his hand and threw it to the ground. The lights in the room suddenly flicked on.

"Welcome to my neighborhood, Guardians of Gardev!" said Dr. Namwen's voice. As the lights flicked on, Mack saw a Mewtwo in battle armor with a rifle in his hands. Simon took a few steps away from the Omegaling commander. Aura shrieked again.

"Mack! What's happening to me?!" screamed Aura as she writhed on the floor. Dr. Namwen laughed maniacally.

"Enjoy your last moments together aware of what's going on around you!" laughed Dr. Namwen with twisted delight, "Those darts were filled with the purest, blackest darkness I could muster from one of my shadow chambers. Soon, you and your mate will become XD series Pokémon, Mack." Mack felt his strength start to vanish as he dropped face first to the floor.

"Soon, you and Aura will be my most powerful soldiers!" said Dr. Namwen with triumph. Mack wrapped his arms around his torso, writhing on the floor. He could feel a strange sensation on his upper back, as if something was trying to force its way through the bodice of his dress.

"Mack?! What's going on?! Are you okay?" screamed Aura. Mack managed to open his eyes and got a glance at Aura's upper back: two strange bulges had appeared under the wedding dress and were pulsing against the tough fabric.

"Simon!" shouted Mack, "Use your claws and cut a slit over each of the bulges on Aura's back, quickly!" Simon ran forward and placed a claw at each of pulsing lumps on Aura's back.

"Be careful!" yelled Mack. Simon made one clean swipe at Aura's wedding dress bodice. Aura shrieked again as two great wings covered with white feathers burst from the fresh-cut slits on the back of her wedding dress.

"Huh?!" shouted Dr. Namwen with shock, "What is the meaning of this?!" Simon smirked as he pulled the two, empty black darts from his satchel.

"You lose again, Dr. Newman," said Simon with a grin as Dr. Namwen screamed with rage.

"It's Dr. Namwen! Namwen!" screamed Dr. Namwen, throwing a temper tantrum.

"Simon! A little help here, please?" said Mack frantically as he felt something continuing to try and get through his dress. Simon jumped behind Mack and made another, clean swipe with both of his claws. Aura watched with awe as a pair of white wings, like an eagle's, burst from the new slits in the back of Mack's dress. Aura marveled at her and Mack's identical wings. Soon, Aura felt her strength returning and she carefully stood back up. Though the wings had only been there for a few minutes, Aura felt like they had been there all her life.

"David, you nimrod!" shouted Dr. Namwen with rage, "Didn't you even bother to check the darts before you left my office?! You just gave the Guardians the wing serum! Now, not only do they have powerful wings, but they instinctively have the powers of flight!" Aura quickly helped Mack to his feet as their strength continued to recover. Mack flapped his wings slowly, testing out the new muscles.

"It just feels so…natural," said Mack, "I don't get it."

"Didn't you hear Dr. Newman?" asked Simon, taunting the mad scientist, "Those serums not only gave you and Aura beautiful wings, but now you also know how to use them."

"Enough yammering!" shouted Dr. Namwen, "David, kill them!" David glanced at the Guardians of Gardev: he distinctly remembered what the technician had told him about Dr. Namwen's treatment of a Ralts and its father. David knew very well what he had to do.

"I surrender!" said David as he dropped his weapons and fell on his knees with his hands in the air.

"You…what?!" shouted Dr. Namwen, "No matter, I'll kill you all myself!" David got to his feet and ran behind the Guardians and Simon as the door at the far end of the room started to open. They watched attentively and with caution as Dr. Namwen slowly walked into the room.

"Now we'll see what you're really made of!" said Dr. Namwen as he started to put the black pendant around his neck. Instinctively, Mack and Aura flapped their wings vigorously, creating a mighty river of swift wind. Dr. Namwen yelled as he tried to stay on his feet. He crouched to the floor, desperately trying to get the pendant around his neck.

"Faster, Aura!" commanded Mack as they flapped their mighty wings faster and faster. Dr. Namwen screamed as the fierce wind picked him up and threw him down the hallway with incredible force.

"Let's go! That door's our way out!" shouted Simon as he ran for the door. The door slammed shut suddenly and Simon crashed into the thick, tempered steel face first. Simon dropped to the floor, knocked silly from the harsh impact. Aura gazed at her wings with amazement, running her fingers through the soft white feathers. David walked up to Aura with her lace headdress in his hands.

"You dropped this when you used Gust on Dr. Namwen, miss," said David as he handed it to Aura. Aura just shrugged and dropped it to the floor.

"It just gets in the way of my wings, but I do thank you David," said Aura sweetly as she straighten her tiara.

"Are you two…angels?" asked David in shock, marveling at the magnificent, winged Gardevoirs in white dresses.

"By all means, no!" said Mack with warm laughter as he and Aura embraced, wrapping their soft wings around each other, "I'm Mack and this is my gorgeous mate, Aura. We are the Guardians of Gardev and we're here to rescue the Gardevoir families that Dr. Namwen's troops captured from the hidden city."

"I see. If I help you get out of here, will you take me with you and change me back into a human?" asked David.

"Of course," replied Mack with a friendly smile, "Can you get us out of this room?" David shook his head with despair.

"The exit can only be opened from the outside, either by the control console or by the people in the MSCR," explained David.

"The Master Security Control Room, eh?" asked Mack, "Funny you should say that, because some of our friends should be breaking in there any minute now."

**-32-**

Anna was almost disappointed. They had all managed to break into the security control room without any trouble at all. For whatever reason, the Cipher agents they ran into did not want to fight: they just wanted to get out of the building, claiming that the facility's administrator was utterly insane. They also said that all was lost: the Omegalings had been defeated by the Guardians and all of Cipher's plans in the Orre region were quickly coming apart.

"It's almost sad," complained Anna, "The first day I'm a Gardevoir, this is the first time I've part of a major assault and I haven't even gotten to defeat my first peon!"

"You should be relieved," said Enrique, "Now we can spend all our energy dancing together after this is all over."

"I can agree with that," giggled Sakura as she gazed at Fredrick.

"You can celebrate later," said Andre gruffly, "We still have to free all the Gardevoirs and Erureidos." Andre tried to punch in another access code, but the codes had been changed and the door to the MSCR would no longer open.

"Now what do we do?" grumbled Andre, "The only way into the MSRC is through this door. The air vents in there are too small for any of us to climb through." Li glanced at the door then faced Mei-lin.

"Hey, Mei-lin," said Li with a grin, "If we can work our teeth into the door frame, we might be able to tear the door off its hinges together."

"We'll have to try that," said Fredrick, "Those blasted psychic jammers are still online and none of us are strong enough, physically." Li and Mei-lin walked into front of the door then tried to work their large maws into the doorframe.

"Man!" said Li, "This one's tougher than all the others!"

"These doors are designed to be bomb-proof," said Andre, "Even several sticks of dynamite won't put a dent in this thing. The walls are even stronger, too." Li and Mei-lin strained, trying to force their teeth further into the frame.

"I think I've got it!" said Mei-lin with glee.

"Alright!" said Li, "PULL!!" The two Mawiles pulled as hard as they could together. Andre heard the sound of tearing metal.

"Keep going!" said Sakura, cheering them on, "You've almost got it!" Li bellowed as he and Mei-lin finally tore the door out of its frame. Working in tandem, they threw the offending obstacle down the hallway several yards. It hit the floor with a loud, echoing "KLANG!" The Gardevoirs piled into the room with Li and Mei-lin not far behind.

"You sure are strong, Li!" said Mei-lin with a smile as Li blushed nervously.

"Okay…" said Andre as he sat down at the main control console, "I worked here before I became an Omegaling. This should be a synch." They watched all watched closely as Andre feverishly pressed buttons and flipped switches, deactivating one security system after another. Several minutes later, the last laser tripwire had been shut off.

"That was awesome!" said Li with glee.

"Just like playing a piano," laughed Andre, trying to catch his breath.

"Now we need to get the doors open," said Enrique.

"Those are gonna be a bit tricky," said Andre, "I can open all the blast doors, but any other door that requires a keycard or an access code will have to be opened manually." Andre looked at the computer screen on the control console. He then opened as many doors as he could, typing vigorously. A few moments later, Andre let his arms fall to his sides.

"That's all of them," said Andre, "I even turned off the Phase 10 lockdown. If we can find someone with a skeleton card, we can go anywhere. All the secure doors can take an access card, but only the highest Cipher officials carry them." Li looked at a different computer screen, noticing Mack, Aura and Simon locked in a room with another Mewtwo. Li pressed a few buttons and took a closer look at the Mewtwo: there was an access card in a pocket of the Mewtwo's uniform.

"I found our access card!" said Li, "Well just have to go and break them out of that room down the hallway." Andre could hear faint explosions coming from somewhere in the facility.

"Let's break the Guardians out, then," said Andre, "That blast door is a lot weaker than the others. Let's go!" The Gardevoirs and Mawiles ran out of the control room and back down the hallway. When they got to the end of the corridor, they saw Alexander, Aurora, Xavier, Mewtwo and William blasting at the door with everything they had.

"These Fire Punches just aren't going to cut, Aurora!" said Alexander with despair.

"Stand back!" said Xavier up above as he focused an orb of white energy in his mouth. He then thrust his head forward, pummeling the door with a mighty Aero Blast.

"Let's help them out!" said Sakura as they ran up to the door. Mack, Aura, Simon and David could hear the furious pounding on the door.

"Are you sure there's no other way out of this room?" asked Mack to David.

"This is designed to be a 'Trap Room' of sorts. Dr. Namwen lured you in here and then closed the doors, expecting his 'Black Darts' to succeed. I'm proud to say they didn't!" explained David, "All we have to do is get through one of these doors. Then I can use my access card to go anywhere we need to." Mack walked over to the door.

"Can anyone hear me over there?!" shouted Mack.

"I hear you," said William faintly, "What's going on in there?"

"I want everyone to stand back! Let me and Aura handle this, okay?!" yelled Mack through the door.

"Got it!" replied William, "Give us a few moments to get clear." Aura glanced at Mack.

"How are we going to explain these…wings?" asked Aura.

"I don't think we'll have to," said Mack, reassuring Aura, "I think our parents are if for quite a surprise!" Aura giggled as she and Mack faced the door. Simon grabbed David and hastily dragged him to the opposite end of the room as the Guardian's pendants started to glow brightly. Mack and Aura quickly folded their wings behind their backs.

"Close your eyes and cover your ears, my friend," said Simon, "Things are about to get very bright and very loud!" Mack and Aura thrust their hands forward just as powerful rays of light shot from their hands and into the door. The Pokémon in the hallway heard the door start to rumble.

"Get back!" commanded Alexander. Moments later, a bright, loud explosion shook the building.

"Man!" said William as he tried to shake some dust out of his fur, "That was wicked!" The dust soon cleared as Simon and David quickly emerged from the fresh hole in the thick door.

"Let's go, my love," said Mack as he and Aura walked through the damaged door and into the hallway.

"Oh!" said Aurora with joy, "They're alright!"

"Thank goodness," said Alexander with relief as the small army of Pokémon gather around Mack and Aura. The Guardians glanced at one another.

"Let's show them our gift, okay?" asked Mack tenderly. Aura smiled as they faced their friends and family. With a quick whoosh, Mack and Aura spread their wings. Everyone gasped at the sight of Mack and Aura's majestic, white wings.

"Oh, my…" said Aurora with delight, "They're so beautiful."

"What happened?" asked Alexander with happiness.

"Glacian said that Aura and I would receive a great gift and that it would be a sign of the Guardian bloodline until the end of time," explained Mack, reflecting on Glacian's words, "Now, my mate and I have the gift of flight!"

"I wish I had wings, too," sighed Anna with envy.

"Your children are going to be very special indeed," said Aurora with happiness.

"And here's an even better gift," said David with soft laughter, "The power to open any door!" David slid his access card through a slot in a nearby door. The door opened moments later: the army of Pokémon then ran through the doorway.

"This isn't over yet," thought Mack, "We still need to save the Gardevoirs and their children." Andre glanced back down the hallway as they continued to run.

"I didn't recognize some of those switches," thought Andre with concern, "I wonder what else happened after I flipped them all? Some of them were unlisted lock overrides."


	14. Section 14

**-33-**

Glacian opened his eyes as he felt the binders on his gurney slide away.

"What's this?" thought Glacian as the door opened on its own. The control room on the other side was empty. Glacian slowly stood back up and stretched, glad to be on is feet once again. He walked up to Erica and gently picked her up.

"Let's go find your parents, shall we?" said Glacian as he gently held Erica close, walking out of the room, through the doorway and out of the control room. Meanwhile, the Erureidos had all but given up on breaking through the doorway, when the door suddenly opened on its own.

"Well!" said Wallace with delight, "That answers my prayers!"

"Let's get going then!" shouted Arthur with triumph as the Elite Guard squad dashed through the doorway. They soon came to another locked door.

"I've had enough of this!" shouted Vladimir with anger as he swung his blades at the door, burying them into the metal door several inches, "Oh."

"Break it down, gentlemen," ordered Wallace as his comrades quickly ripped the door to pieces. They continued onward, but they ended up moving slowly since they had to destroy one door after another to keep moving. Wallace glanced at the 3D map.

"It's just a few hundred yards from here! Keep going, everyone!" said Wallace, trying to encourage his friends to keep up their quick pace.

**-34-**

David slid his access card through another slot, opening yet another door.

"This is the prison area. We'll just have to get through this cellblock to the main holding room," said David.

"Then let's get moving!" said Mack as the group started dashing down the hallway of the cellblock. Suddenly, Mack and Aura stopped at one of the cell doors.

"Do you feel that, Mack?" asked Aura.

"I do," said Mack quietly, "He needs our help now!"

"Is something wrong?" asked Simon.

"You guys go on ahead," said Mack, "You'll need to help free all those Gardevoirs!"

"He's got a point," said David as he removed a key from his uniform, "It's going to take me a LONG time to get all those restraining collars of the Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts."

"Then let's go," said William without enthusiasm as he followed the rest of the Pokémon down the cellblock hallway. Meanwhile, in the cell, the heartbroken Gardevoir mother was trying to help her dying mate.

"I don't think…I'm…going to make it…Celeste," said the Gardevoir's mate.

"Save your strength, Ivan," said Celeste tenderly as she gently stroked his back, "Just hold on. I want our daughter to be able to see you again." At that moment, the cell door burst wide open.

"The end must be near!" shouted Ivan with amazement, "I think I'm seeing angels!" Mack and Aura walked up and knelt at Ivan's side.

"I think it's the Guardians of Gardev, Ivan!" said Celeste with great joy, "But, when did they get…wings?"

"Just be quiet now," said Mack softly, "And hold still. You'll be as good as new in a few minutes." Mack glanced at Aura: she nodded her head to an unsaid request as they placed their hands on Ivan. The pendants began to glow brightly once again as the Guardians shone with a bright, white light. Ivan gasped as he felt his pain and weakness vanish. The blinding light soon dissipated. Ivan coughed as Mack and Aura helped him to his feet.

"Thank you so much," said Ivan as Celeste embraced him.

"I don't know how to thank you two!" said Celeste with tears of joy, "You saved my beloved mate!"

"But where is our daughter?" asked Ivan as he felt his strength returning, "What did that evil monster do with her?"

"Nothing," said an old, gentle voice. Glacian walked into the cell, holding their daughter, Erica, with Wallace, Arthur, Vladimir and Daniel right behind him.

"Glacian!" shouted Aura with delight, "You're alive!" Glacian smiled as he gazed at Mack and Aura's beautiful wings.

"I see you've received your gift too," said Glacian with a smile as he carefully handed Erica to her mother and father, "I believe this little one belongs to you."

"Glacian…" said Celeste with great happiness, "Thank you…"

"My dear daughter…" said Ivan with delight. Erica laughed as her mother and father gathered close to her. Aura stared at the young Ralts with amazement. Erica laughed happily as Aura smiled at her.

"Someday, Aura," said Mack sweetly as he put an arm around his mate, "Someday." Just then, William ran into the cell.

"Guys, you won't believe it, but Andre managed to shut down those stupid psychic jammers!" reported William with glee.

"Good," said Mack as he focused his power, concentrating deeply. Within a matter of minutes, the restraining collars on Ivan, Celeste and Erica dropped to the floor. Wallace walked up and smashed the collars with his mighty blades.

"Arthur, Vladimir, Daniel: go find our comrades and free them," commanded Wallace, "And move quickly!" The Erureidos ran out of the cell with great haste as Ivan held his family close.

"'Til death do we part," said Celeste happily, "I'm so glad that didn't happen today." Mack concentrated, trying to read the Gardevoir family's minds: he was repulsed and he snarled with rage at what he saw.

"So that's the deal," said Mack. Glacian nodded.

"Dr. Namwen has committed some serious atrocities in the last few days," said Glacian with anger, "Destroying my city, kidnapping my people, stealing a young Ralts, attempting to torture the little one and almost murdering Ivan. No one does such things to the people of MY city and lives. As soon as we find that inhuman monster, we shall destroy him once and for all. I never thought I would see the day that a human in their right mind would do such things!"

"It isn't entirely his fault," said Aura.

"How can you say that?!" snarled Glacian, "If you and Mack had not gotten here in the next few minutes, Ivan would be have been lost forever!"

"Let's just say that the shadow chamber was Alvin's greatest folly," explained Mack, "His mind was twisted and his own powers increased dramatically when he was exposed to the raw power of his machine. Killing him won't solve the problem: we're going to have to try and purify him."

"And what of the dark pendant?" asked Glacian, "If he dons it all is lost. It took the power of all four pendants to fell the weak Houndoom who wore it almost a thousand years ago!"

"The darkness can't harm me and Aura," said Mack with resolve, "And since Aura and I are the only ones who can purify shadow Pokémon without the use of machinery or ancient relics, it will be up to us to try and save him."

"Even if you do manage such a Herculean task, there is no telling what will happen. He might completely loose it once he's back in his right mind," said Glacian.

"We have to try," said Aura, "As the Guardians of Gardev, it Mack's and my job to help those in need: wherever we go. I think Alvin could be one of our greatest allies, if we can only heal his mind and purge him of the dark power."

"Very well, then," said Glacian with a sigh of happiness, "Aura, you and Mack will be wonderful Guardians indeed."

"Ivan, you and your family should escape with the rest of the Gardevoir families as soon as we've freed them," said Mack, "Come with us!" Ivan and his family followed closely after Mack, Aura and Glacian. Before long, they had dashed their way to the gigantic holding room. They could hear laughing, sighs of relief and others crying with joy. The Gardevoirs and their families watched as Mack and Aura entered the room with their wings folded out. They could hear some of them talking.

"It's too bad we missed our tenth anniversary," sighed a female Gardevoir to her Erureido husband, dressed in her wedding splendor, "I had everything prepared: your wedding dress was ready and I even had a bottle of that special Gardev wine for us for last night…"

"Its okay, Jasmine," said Arthur blissfully as he held his mate close, "As soon as we get back home, we can celebrate our wonderful, tenth anniversary together."

"Mmmmm…" said Jasmine with delight as she kissed Arthur, "I can't wait until we have our first Ralts…"

"Looks like one of hundreds of happy reunions," said Aura with a smile as she held Mack's hand.

"So many loving Gardevoir couples," said Mack happily as he glanced at Aura, "It makes me wonder what happened to my Gardevoir, Maria."

"Oh," said Aura, "Was Maria one of your best Pokémon?"

"She was that and much more," said Mack, "Maria was a great friend, always ready to help and care for me during our travels. About a year ago, I had completed my Pokémon journey, conquering all the tournaments on the planet at least once. I had released all my other Pokémon back into the wild, but Maria stayed close, not wanting to leave on her own. Then it happened: we ended up coming across a fine male Gardevoir. I could tell they liked each other a lot, so I released her. Maria then followed the other Gardevoir. I never saw her again, but I'm sure that she's happy no matter where she is. Sometimes I still wonder what became of her." Mack and Aura walked through the giant room, noticing that all the restraining collars on the Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoirs had been removed and destroyed. Scrap from the collars littered the floor.

"Sometimes, I still wonder whatever became of him," said a familiar voice to Mack. He stopped in his tracks.

"What…?" said Mack with disbelief, "It can't be…" Aura followed Mack closely as he wandered about the room.

"He was the best trainer I ever knew. He took such good care of me, Seth," said the feminine voice. Mack stopped a few yards away from another Gardevoir couple in wedding attire.

"I know," said Seth with a smile, "You've told me this story quite a few times. I wonder if I'll ever get to meet him."

"Maria?" asked Mack with shock. Maria eyes opened wide as she quickly turned her head, facing the winged Gardevoir.

"Who are you…?" asked Maria, "Your voice sounds so familiar…"

"Do you know him?" asked Seth, "This is Mack, one of the Guardians of Gardev."

"I see your friend took very good care of you indeed, Maria," said Mack. Maria stared at Mack with a bewildered look on her face. Soon, her confusion gave way to understanding.

"Mack!" said Maria happily as she ran up and wrapped her arms around him, "What happened to you? How did you become a Gardevoir?" Maria stared into the sapphire pendant around Mack's neck.

"Yes," said Mack with a smile as he gently slid out of Maria's embrace, "I'm now a Guardian of Gardev." Mack reached out for Aura's hand as he brought her to his side.

"You're married, too?!" said Maria ecstatically, "That's wonderful!"

"I see you and Seth are as well," said Mack as he put his left arm around Aura, holding her close.

"We got married almost two weeks ago," said Maria with delight as she embraced Seth, "I wasn't ready to be married so soon after you let me go. So we waited a year, got to know each other better, moved to the Gardevoir city and we tied the knot. I heard that we were married on the same day as the Guardians of Gardev. I never imagined that you would be a part of that, Mack!" Mack kissed Aura.

"It's a long story, maybe I'll tell it to you and Seth later, after we get out of this place and after our honeymoons!" said Mack with laughter. Glacian walked up to Mack.

"Wallace and his team freed the rest of the Elite Guard. I'm going to have the Erureidos and their mates lead the rest of the Gardevoirs and their families back to the city. They should be able to have everything rebuilt by the time we get back," said Glacian with a smile.

"Say what? Just how long will it take them to rebuild an entire city?" asked a perplexed Mack. Glacian just laughed.

"You'd be surprised what a few thousand Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts can do when they work together," said Glacian, "Now come. We still have to face Dr. Namwen and rescue Ramirez."

"And we're coming with you," said Alexander forcefully.

"So will I," said Aurora at her mate's side.

"I'll come too," said David, "You'll need me to open any other locked doors."

"Don't forget us!" said Anna as she walked up to Mack with Enrique, Fredrick and Sakura right behind her.

"I have a score to settle with Dr. Namwen. You're definitely not going after him without me," said Cecil firmly.

"I'll have my friends assist with helping the Gardevoirs escape," said Simon, "It's time we put an end to Dr. Namwen's atrocities." Xavier flew overhead.

"I followed you this far, Mack, I'll follow you to the end," said Xavier with resolve.

"You know as well as I that it will take all of us to bring down Dr. Namwen and to free Ramirez from his clutches," said Glacian, "Are you ready? He's waiting for us. I'm sure of it." Mack glanced at Aura as they spread their wings. The escaping Gardevoirs looked on with amazement as the Guardians of Gardev flew into the air.

"Well, looks like I won't have to carry you anymore, Mack," said Xavier with a grin. Mack looked down upon Ivan, Celeste, Erica, Seth and Maria.

"Good luck, Guardians of Gardev!" said Ivan.

"We'll be waiting for you!" said Maria as she and Seth ran off behind the rest of the Gardevoirs. Nox, Gremlin and Phoenix followed closely.

"Our prayers are with you!" said Maria as she followed Ivan and his family at Seth's side, "Goodbye, Mack!" Mack looked back and forth at his friends: they were all ready to follow him and Aura into the fray.

"Let's go!" shouted Mack as he and Aura flew forward. Their friends and family followed close behind. Trying to free Ramirez would be very difficult. Mack also knew they would only have one shot at defeating Dr. Namwen and there was no telling what he might do when finally cornered.

**-35-**

"Sir!" shouted the technician, "We have a major situation on our hands! The Erureidos were freed and they've gone on a rampage! They're destroying everything in their path!" Dr. Namwen gazed at the computer screen, watching as his army of Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts was running down the hallway, following close behind the irate Erureidos.

"Bah!" said Dr. Namwen with glee, "The Guardians and their friends are still moving deeper and deeper into my facility. They're running down the main corridor and that will lead them straight to the training arena, where I'll be waiting with Ramirez and my Alakazams. With the dark pendant, even if they defeat my…allies, they will still be no match for me."

"But the training arena is a dead end, sir," said the technician frantically, "Behind the arena is the high-security vault. There's no way out of there and that's where the last of the Omega serums are being stored!"

"That will be the perfect place. I will not fail against the Guardians and their pitiful little army. I have already foreseen it," said Dr. Namwen with an evil grin.

"But I just got word from HQ: that kid managed to break into our last stronghold in the in the Orre region! It's only a matter of time before that kid gets through!" said the technician with fear, "We should be pulling out, too!" Dr. Namwen reached out and grabbed the technician by the scruff of his neck. Dr. Namwen squeezed the man's throat.

"Don't you dare even think of surrendering," said Dr. Namwen as his eyes glowed with bright red light, "Master Greevil will be more than a match for that child! With XD001, there is no way he can loose, but even so, Master Greevil is no longer of any concern to me. Cipher is finished and from what remains; I'll form my army and conquer the world, one piece at a time. I still have one hundred of those Omega serums and plenty of weapons and battle armor." Dr. Namwen set the technician back in his seat with force.

"Don't you move from that spot," said Dr. Namwen as he started to leave the room, laughing quietly, "They'll even come across and release my brother before they face me. He can watch as I tear the wings off those worthless Gardevoirs! Then, I won't stop slamming them and their friends all about the room with telekinesis until the walls are stained with their blood!" Dr. Namwen sealed the door behind him. The technician quickly started browsing the security cameras: he soon discovered that he was the last human in the entire building. Also, the huge group of Gardevoirs and their children had stopped running just short of the exit. Without a word, they turned back, charging hastily down the hallways with the Erureidos in hot pursuit.

"I know what the Guardians stand for: honor, justice, mercy. They stand for things that monster Dr. Namwen could never comprehend!" thought the technician as he quickly pressed buttons and flipped switches on the control console in front of him. Moments later, ever single door in the facility opened wide as the technician disabled all the electronic locks.

"It looks like the Gardevoirs are heading back into the facility. I wonder what they're up too?" thought the technician as he stood up, grabbed a nearby rifle and unloaded the entire clip into the control room's computers.

"I'm not gonna hang around and watch Dr. Namwen. I'm getting out of here!" thought the technician as he threw the rifle to the ground and ran out the emergency exit.

**-36-**

Eric sat alone on the floor of the capsule. The eerie silence in the area was frightening and made Eric wonder what was going on. The intense interference from the psychic jammers had vanished just moments ago. He glanced at the row of six Pokéballs on a nearby table.

"Time for us to get out of here," thought Eric as he concentrated, trying to focus his new power. The glass sides of the capsule started to crack. Eric strained, trying to maintain his telekinetic grip on the capsule walls. He shouted as the glass shattered outward, embedding shards into the walls and through the large super computers in the room. He floated out of the capsule, landing softly on the ground in front of the Pokéballs. He hastily grabbed them and threw them to the floor, releasing his necktie-wearing Alakazams into the room. The Alakazams watched in shock as their master crushed the Pokéballs in his fists, two by two.

"What are you doing?" asked Albert.

"You're still our trainer, are you not?" asked Isaac. Eric faced his Alakazams.

"What's the point?" asked Eric, "I'm a Pokémon now, just like you. I just don't feel its right for me to keep you in those…things any more."

"I understand, but what will you do now?" asked Benjamin.

"We are your friends. We'll follow you anywhere," said Thomas with resolve.

"The Guardians will be here soon. They want to save your brother," said Leonardo as he straightened his tie.

"He's beyond help," sighed Eric, "It will take nothing short of a miracle to stop him. Between Alvin's Alakazams, XD002 and the black pendant, even the Guardians will be hard pressed to free my brother from the darkness."

"The Guardians aren't alone," said Albert, "Every last member of the Guardian family is here. Even two of our greatest enemies, Cecil and David, the Omegaling commander, have joined up against Dr. Namwen. Even we should be able to help them heal Dr. Namwen's mind." There was a loud explosion as one of the doors in the room exploded outward, filling the air with dust.

"Speak of the devil, here they are now!" said Leonardo as he coughed loudly. The dust soon settled: Eric and his Alakazams gasped when they saw Mack and Aura.

"What on earth?!" shouted Eric with shock, "How did you two get wings?!"

"It was an unexpected gift from Dr. Namwen," said Mack with a grin. Simon stepped forward.

"Dr. Namwen intended to use darts full of darkness to turn Mack and Aura into XD series Pokémon. Instead, I broke into the facility last night and switched the darts: now, Mack and Aura not only have wings, but they know how to use them," explained Simon as Mack and Aura flapped their wings and hovered a few feet off the ground.

"If you're looking for my brother," said Eric as he pointed at the only other door in the room, "He ran off that way. He's heading for the training arena. There's no way out of there except to retreat further into the vault and that's a dead end."

"We would like to assist you, Guardians of Gardev," said Albert as he approached the flying Gardevoirs.

"We could use all the help we can get," said Mack.

"Then it's settled!" said Eric, "We'll all come with you." He soon noticed a Pikachu and seven other Gardevoirs. Xavier was having trouble fitting through the doorway.

"I don't think anyone ever intended to have a Lugia get loose in here," said Xavier as he forced his way into the room, tearing out the door frame and much of the wall around it.

"Let's get moving then," said Mack as he opened the other door and flew through with Aura right behind him. The others followed closely.


	15. Section 15

**-37-**

Dr. Namwen was waiting for his prey to come. He faced his black Alakazams.

"Pestilence, Thanatos, Devastation, Virulent, Destruction and Hades," said Dr. Namwen, "Now we will have our revenge." The large door on the opposite end of the arena suddenly disappeared behind a wall of flames and thick, black smoke.

"They're here," thought Dr. Namwen as Ramirez walked alongside the mad scientist, "And they won't be leaving this place alive…" Mack, Aura, Glacian, Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna, Enrique, Simon, William, Eric and his Alakazams, Xavier, Li and Mei-lin walked onto field, ready for battle. Dr. Namwen, Ramirez and his Alakazams were ready. Glacian walked up to Dr. Namwen.

"You're outnumbered and have nowhere to escape," said Glacian, "You could save us all a lot of trouble and just surrender. Let the Guardians purify you, your friends and my great-great grandson, Ramirez."

"We can end this peacefully, Dr. Namwen," said Alexander.

"Just please…" said Aurora with tears, "Please let us have our son back…please?" Dr. Namwen grinned at Alexander and Aurora.

"You should be grateful!" laughed Dr. Namwen, "For after today, he will be the last of the Guardian bloodline. You should be happy that I'm going to spare him!"

"This doesn't have to end like this," said Glacian sternly. Mack faced Li and Mei-lin.

"You two had better run for the exit and don't stop until you get out of this facility," said Mack quietly, "This is no place for you kids. Okay?"

"Okay," said Li with understanding.

"Let's go then," said Mei-lin as she and Li quickly ran out of the giant, steel-plated, domed room.

"We'll go with them and help them escape!" said Cecil as he and Andre ran out of the arena after them.

"Your little friends are very wise, for they were the only ones to actually try and escape," said Dr. Namwen, "Now, it begins. I challenge the Guardians against my Alakazams and Ramirez, or should I say XD002?"

"He's just toying with us," whispered Mack to Aura, "They won't stand a chance against us." Aura nodded.

"Mack and I accept your challenge, Dr. Namwen," said Aura forcefully, "And what will you give us if we win?"

"Obviously, should you manage to defeat Ramirez and my Alakazams; you'll also have purged them of the darkness. They will be your prize," said Dr. Namwen, "But, if you loose, every Pokémon with you will have to become a shadow Pokémon. On top of that, you, my dear and your mate will willingly become my soldiers."

"It's impossible for us lose against those Alakazams and Ramirez," whispered Mack to Aura, "He must have something else up his sleeve."

"Then it is decided," said Glacian as he and the rest of the Pokémon stepped far away from Mack and Aura. Mack and Aura flapped their wings, getting about ten feet off the ground, ready to attack.

"You make the first move, Dr. Namwen!" shouted Mack.

"Pestilence, Thanatos, Devastation, Virulent, Destruction and Hades: get them!" commanded Dr. Namwen. His black Alakazams pointed their spoons at the flying Gardevoirs and fired blast after blast of darkness. Dr. Namwen grinned, even as his Pokémons' attacks didn't so much as make the Guardians flinch. He watched closely, waiting. Mack glanced at Aura. She nodded her head, answering a silent question. Everyone watched as Mack and Aura closed their eyes and became covered with bright bubbles of light. Dr. Namwen grinned as their white skirts and petticoats fluttered from a strange wind. Moments later, the bubbles of light exploded outward, filling the room with blinding, white light. Dr. Namwen shielded his eyes as a loud explosion of light sent his Alakazams into the air. Pestilence, Thanatos, Devastation, Virulent, Destruction and Hades soon fell to the ground, landing hard on the thick steel floor unconscious. Their black color had completely vanished. Mack and Aura set foot back on the floor as they folded up their wings.

"Ramirez, you know what to do," said Dr. Namwen. Ramirez stepped forward as Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna and Enrique carefully carried the fallen Alakazams off the battle field.

"Are they going to be okay?" asked Anna.

"They'll be fine in a few hours," said Glacian, "They got hit by a nasty shock, but now, no longer are they shadow Pokémon."

"Ramirez, attack," ordered Dr. Namwen. Ramirez quickly thrust both his hands forward, hitting the Guardians squarely with a blast of darkness. Once again, Mack and Aura had not been fazed whatsoever. Dr. Namwen knew this would be the case: he was just watching and learning. Suddenly, Ramirez closed his eyes and dropped to his knees as the emerald pendant began to shine brightly again.

"You've finally come, Mack and Aura," said Ramirez weakly, "Now finish my purification and free me from Dr. Namwen's dark bond." Aura walked up to Ramirez and placed her right hand on his forehead. Dr. Namwen watched closely as Ramirez radiated more of the pure, white light. Soon, the light faded as Aura removed her hand. Ramirez stood back up and opened his eyes. For the first time in weeks, he smiled. Aura, Alexander and Aurora gathered around Ramirez. Ramirez laughed happily as his mother and father embraced him.

"Welcome back, my son!" said Alexander with happiness.

"I'm so glad you're okay now," said Aurora, crying with tears of joy.

"All's good!" said Ramirez with laughter, "I'm just disappointed that I missed my sister's wedding!" Dr. Namwen continued to watch, smiling the whole time. Suddenly, Dr. Namwen's eyes glowed red as a powerful telekinetic blast sent Alexander, Aurora and Ramirez flying back into a wall. Mack and Aura faced Dr. Namwen, ready to bathe him with their powers of light.

"That battle is over, now you face me, Guardians of Gardev!" said Dr. Namwen as he flashed an evil smile to the other Pokémon, "And if any of you try to hit me with anything, I'll kill you on the spot! You all know very well that Mack and Aura are the only ones who can stand up to my dark power."

"Now, we end this," said Mack as he and Aura glared at Dr. Namwen.

"Indeed we shall," said Dr. Namwen with maniacal laughter as he quickly put the black pendant around his neck. Mack and his friends gasped as an explosion of darkness filled the room.

"That fool," said Glacian, "He has no idea what he's done…" The darkness soon gave way to light: Dr. Namwen stood in the middle of the room with an aura of black fog about him.

"Ah. The power of this pendant is incredible," said Dr. Namwen. He pointed his hand towards the ground behind him as the large sheets of metal were torn from the floor and then thrown and Mack and Aura. The tiles then flipped in mid air, coming straight towards the Guardians edge-first. Mack and Aura concentrated and focused their power, trying to stop the barrage of sharp, steel tiles.

"Mack! He's too powerful!" shouted Aura with fear as the tiles kept coming closer. Mack jumped in front of his mate, shielding her. Mack cringed as the tiles hit him squarely. Aura shrieked as Mack doubled over in pain. Moments later, Mack straightened up and he gazed at the pile of steel in front of him. The tiles had hurt immensely, but they had not pierced through or left any marks on Mack's dress.

"Are you okay?" asked Mack, wondering what had saved him.

"I'll be fine," replied Aura as Dr. Namwen leisurely walked towards the two Gardevoirs. Mack's and Aura's pendants glowed brightly as they called upon every ounce of power they could and faced the madman. Dr. Namwen kept a wary eye on the Guardian's cohorts.

"Even with your pendants, you're no match for me now!" shouted Dr. Namwen with rage as Mack and Aura suddenly flew into the air. Dr. Namwen laughed as they shot towards the ground. Glacian turned away as they slammed into the metal floor.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Alexander through telepathy. Mack and Aura flew into the air again, in Dr. Namwen's powerful, telekinetic grip.

"I hate seeing Mack and Aura like this!" said William sadly.

"William Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick, Sakura, Enrique, Anna, and Ramirez: Dr. Namwen's power is far too great for any of us to withstand, not even the Guardians with the power of their pendants can stand up to him," said Glacian, using telepathy. Dr. Namwen continued his vengeful rage as he sent Mack and Aura barreling from one of the room to the other, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the onlookers.

"We'll have to lend Mack and Aura our own power: maybe, just maybe, with our combined power, we can defeat Dr. Namwen," thought Glacian, "Now, everyone who can, use Helping Hand!" Xavier, hovering overhead, looked down as the group of eight Gardevoirs starting glowing with a faint, blue aura. Simon, on the other hand, started drawing in energy, waiting for the right moment to attack Dr. Namwen.

"A Solar Beam is the only attack I can think of that possesses light," thought Simon, "When the Guardians unleash their fury, I'll be able to help them." Dr. Namwen laughed again as he threw Mack and Aura against another wall. He released his psychic grip and grinned as the Guardians dropped to the floor, greatly weakened. The black pendant started to radiate even thicker and blacker clouds of darkness as he approached Mack and Aura.

"Now, you will accept your fate," said Dr. Namwen as the darkness about him got even blacker and thicker, "If you had surrendered, I would have kept you as is, but now, since you've refused to join me, I'll use the powers of the black pendant to turn you both into my very own, merciless angels of destruction!"

"This can't be…" said Mack weakly, trying to stand up, "Evil can never really win…"

"I'm afraid that it will before the day is over," cackled Dr. Namwen, "I have foreseen it: if the Guardians face me alone, then they will belong to me."

"But they aren't fighting alone!" shouted Glacian. Dr. Namwen quickly swiveled his head to face Glacian: the group of Gardevoirs was glowing strangely, as was Simon. Up above, Xavier charged up more energy, forming a bright orb of light in his mouth. As Dr. Namwen was distracted, Mack felt his strength returning and getting more and more potent. Aura jumped to her feet, her power renewed.

"I told you not to interfere," said Dr. Namwen with a scowl, "Now you will all perish!"

"Not so fast, Dr. Newman!" shouted Mack. The demented man cringed upon hearing his real family name. He faced the Guardians, ready to blow them to smithereens. As he laid eyes on Mack and Aura, and saw the great light radiating from them, he realized he was in deep trouble. Mack and Aura pointed their hands at Dr. Namwen, firing a mighty torrent of light into the mad scientist. Simon watched as the Guardians unleashed their fury upon Dr. Namwen.

"Show time!" thought Simon as he fired a Solar Beam into the false Gardevoir just as Xavier unleashed a Hyper Beam. William shrieked and sent a powerful lightning bolt straight at Dr. Namwen.

"AARRRRG!!!" screamed Dr. Namwen as the powerful light, electricity and energy slammed into him. Mack looked closely: the dark aura around Dr. Namwen was starting to dissipate.

"I'm far from finished, you foolish beasts!!" screamed Dr. Namwen with rage as he let the torrent of energies blow him backwards down the hallway and deep into the massive vault. Mack and Aura took to the air, flying after Dr. Namwen with great haste. The vault door, over fifty feet wide and twenty feet tall, quickly slammed shut. Mack and Aura flapped their wings vigorously, coming to a gentle stop a few feet from the monumental door.

"Great…" muttered Mack as he folded his wings and gazed at the gleaming steel door, "How are going to get through that?"

"Just be patient, Mack," said Aura gently as she smiled at her mate, "He can't escape." The others followed Mack and Aura closely, stopping in front of the vault. Simon sneered at the giant door.

"I can't say I've ever gotten into anything as secure as this," said Simon gruffly, "This door makes getting as far as we have look like a cake walk!"

"Either way, he won't be going anywhere," said Glacian as he carefully gazed at the vault, "That's twenty feet of solid, tempered steel between us and that madman. At least he won't be able to hurt us so long as he remains imprisoned."

"We still need to finish the job," said Mack grimly, "After all, we have no idea what is being kept in there."

**-38-**

Dr. Namwen feverishly started opening crates in the vault. He had originally built the vault to store the unimaginable amount of treasures he had hoped to steal from the Gardevoir cities, so the solid, metal room was almost completely empty. The only things in here were a few crates of weapons and battle armor for Omegaling soldiers. He telekinetically tore the lid off another crate and smiled when he saw the contents: one hundred doses of various DNA serums, meant for creating more of the almost unstoppable Omegalings soldiers. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to use the last of his treasures.

"Those fools," thought Dr. Namwen as he made the serum darts float into the air, "They won the battle, but they have yet to win the war." Soon, all one hundred darts were in the air as Dr. Namwen carefully positioned them.

"With the black pendant and these serums, I'll become their ultimate nightmare: a giant, distorted monster! Soon, the blood of dozens of powerful Pokémon will pulse through my veins and then," thought Dr. Namwen with distorted delight, "Then, I'll tear the wings off of them. I'll drop them to the ground and kill their comrades slowly and painfully as Mack and Aura lie on the floor and bleed. When the Guardians finally beg for mercy, I'll devour them whole, blood-stained wedding dresses and all!" The darts, all in unison, flew towards Dr. Namwen. The evil Gardevoir shrieked in pain as the darts simultaneously pierced deep into his flesh. He fell to the ground, writhing and erupting with evil laughter.

"Let the Guardians come!" shouted Dr. Namwen with rage as his body started to grow and become distorted, "They can spend their last moments together in agony within my belly!"


	16. Section 16

**-39-**

Several minutes passed and Glacian could feel Dr. Namwen's rage and insanity. Whatever was going on within the vault, it was not good. The Guardians and their friends still had not figured out a way into the vault to confront Dr. Namwen.

"The hinges are still the weakest point," said Simon as he gazed at the think, heavy hinges, "It will still take quite a bit to get through them." He swung his claws at the chunks of polished metal, only to have them glance off harmlessly. His powerful claws had not left a scratch in it or even generated a single spark.

"All we'd need to do is heat up the hinges enough to weaken them," said Mack, "Then, we could use telekinesis to tear the hinges apart while Simon pounds on them with all his might. That should break them."

"Heat, eh?" asked Simon as he sneered at the massive hinges, "Sometimes I wish I had raised a Flareon."

"We'll just need something else to heat them with," said Aura. Everyone faced Simon.

"Hey! Don't look at me! I don't know Flamethrower or Fire Blast!" said Simon nervously, "It's not like I know EVERY attack in the book!" Suddenly, everyone in the hallway heard the sound of small, squeaking wheels. They quickly turned around to see Li and Mei-lin pushing a tall tank of acetylene down the hallway and carrying a cutting torch. Three Erureidos followed closely behind the two Mawiles.

"Did someone call for a locksmith?" asked Li with a smirk.

"I thought I told you and Mei-lin to leave the facility," said Mack. Li shrugged.

"I thought about it, but then Mei-lin and I decided to stay out of sight and keep an eye on you guys," said Li.

"Besides, this nice man in white armor said we could borrow these things as long as we would use them to stop Dr. Namwen," said Mei-lin as she pointed at the cutting torch.

"Well, I can't argue with that," said Mack with a shrug.

"We can help break the hinges, Mack," said Wallace, trying to catch his breath.

"We'll have them reduced to steel wool by the time we're done with them!" said Vladimir with resolve. Mack noticed that Arthur was not present with his comrades.

"Strange…" said Mack, "Where did Arthur go?"

"Arthur needs to be with his mate," said Wallace with a smile, "I imagine that he and Jasmine are leading our friends and families out of here and back to the city."

"Okay," said Mack as he grabbed the cutting torch while Li rolled the tank closer to the vault door. Mack was about to light the torch, but he hesitated.

"Is something wrong?" asked Aura, sensing Mack's concern.

"I'm just worried about my…" said Mack with some embarrassment, "…Dress catching on fire…"

"You'll have to use the torch, Mack," said Aura trying to reassure him, "I'm the only other one here who knows how and I'm too nervous. Besides, you don't need to worry about your pretty wedding attire: its fire-proof." Mack dropped the cutting torch.

"Fire-proof?!" shouted Mack with surprise, "Sheesh, Aura! What on earth are these dresses made out of?!"

"I…I really don't know…" said a perplexed Aura. Aurora stepped forward.

"Let's just say that how the fabric is made is a trade secret of the Gardevoir seamstresses," explained Aurora with a smile, "They simply call it 'Satin,' the fabric is softer than silk but also very, very durable. Simon is actually the first Pokémon that I've ever seen who actually managed to cut the fabric without stealing a pair of the seamstresses' scissors."

"Aurora likes to plan for everything!" said Alexander with warm laughter, "Even if it meant you two were married while the chapel was burning down!"

"Well," said Mack as he picked the torch back up, "That explains why I wasn't impaled by those sharp, steel tiles."

"A Gardevoir's wedding attire has to last a long time, Mack," remarked Glacian, "Gardevoir couples stay together for over one hundred years and their wedding attire must be able to stand up to over a century of use." Mack laughed to himself as he opened the valve on the tank, lit the torch and held the powerful flame against the hinges. Half an hour passed before Mack was able to make a considerable cut in the hinge.

"Okay," said Mack as he took a few steps back, "Try now!" Simon and the Erureidos rushed forward, slamming their blades into the fresh cut. Sparks flew about the halfway as they continued to pummel the hinge with machine-like precision. Meanwhile, the rest of the Gardevoirs focused their power, trying to pull the hinge apart. The faint sound of straining metal could be heard amongst the hard hits from Simon and the Erureidos.

"I think we've got it!" shouted Aura with triumph as the hinge broke apart and fell to the floor. They heard a strange sound and looked up at the other hinge: it was bending and warping because of enormous stress.

"This door must not have been designed very well," said Mack, "Everyone: RUN!!!" The small army of Pokémon dashed down the hallway as the gigantic door fell forward with a loud metallic slam, echoing throughout the entire facility. Glacian glanced at the door and then into the dark vault.

"Looks like the door was much thinner than the walls," remarked Glacian.

"Okay, everyone," said Mack with determination, "Let's finish this." As they approached the darkened doorway, they heard something that sounded like dozens of hideous voices speaking in unison.

"I'm ready for you, Guardians of Gardev…" said the distorted voices, "Come face me, if you dare…"

"Be ready," warned Glacian, "I don't like what I sense…" Mack nodded as he and Aura took to the air and quickly flew into the dark vault: their friends and family followed close behind. The lights in the giant, gleaming metal room suddenly flicked on. Aura, Anna, Aurora and Mei-lin shrieked while the others gasped at what they saw. A giant, distorted beast loomed over them. Its body was like that of a dragon, three times larger than that of any Gyarados. It had eight legs, some with fur, some with course hair and some with scales. It had two arms, much like a Charizard's, but larger and black. The snake-like head of the monster had eight eyes: some were like that of insects, a few were reptilian, a couple of the eyes were like an eagle's and the others were like a human's eyes, only much larger. The beast's mouth was a terrible sight, filled with row upon row of pointed, serrated teeth, dripping with saliva.

"I'll give you one last chance, Guardians of Gardev," said the monster, "Surrender to me and I will spare you and your friends my wrath. Otherwise, by the time I get through with you, you'll beg me to end your lives!"

"What has Dr. Namwen done to himself?" asked Glacian with shock and disbelief.

"Simple," replied Dr. Namwen, "I used the last of the serums I had created to make more Omegalings, but since I've run out of willing soldiers, I used every last dose on myself. Now, I am the ultimate Pokémon and can use any of the most powerful attacks!"

"It's like a chimera, only a hundred times worse…" thought Mack with disgust.

"Chimera?" asked Dr. Namwen, reading Mack's every thought, "I rather like the sound of that."

"It's not too late, Dr. Namwen," said Glacian firmly, "Now, surrender and let the Guardians heal you!"

"You still dare to challenge me?" cackled Dr. Namwen, "Very well, who's first?" Before anyone could say another word, Mack and Aura flew into the air, focusing their power. They quickly thrust their hands towards Dr. Namwen. The mad scientist quickly realized what the Guardians were up about to do.

"Not so fast!" laughed Dr. Namwen as he shot a blast of fierce fire from his mouth. Mack and Aura dove out of the way, evading the intense flames.

"Don't let that fire hit your wings!" cautioned Glacian, "The feathers will catch fire easily!" Dr. Namwen faced the Guardians and glared at them.

"Come on!" shouted Dr. Namwen as he stood still, "Blast me!" Mack and Aura stopped flapping their wings as they floated in the air. They became surrounded with bubbles of light as their skirts and petticoats fluttered from a strange breeze. Everyone shielded their eyes as a bright flash filled the room, followed immediately by a loud "BOOM!" The blinding light quickly faded as Dr. Namwen erupted with terrible laughter in his few dozen voices.

"You lose, Guardians of Gardev!" shouted Dr. Namwen as Mack and Aura became enshrouded with a faint, black aura. Mack struggled, trying to get free from Dr. Namwen's black grip.

"Mack!" shouted Aura frantically, "I can't move!" Everyone watched as Mack and Aura floated in the air, unable to move. Dr. Namwen glanced at his brother and smiled.

"You, my dear brother, can watch!" said Dr. Namwen as he seized his brother in a dark grip. Alexander, Aurora and Glacian jumped forward with their arms blazing with lightning.

"You will leave my daughter and her mate alone!!" screamed Alexander as he, Aurora and Glacian flew towards Dr. Namwen with incredible speed. The monster laughed as the three Gardevoirs' Thunder Punches glanced harmlessly off his thick, furry and scaled hide.

"I think that may have tickled me, but I'm not entirely sure," said Dr. Namwen as he snagged the three Gardevoirs in another black grip, "Who is next?" Anna, Fredrick, Sakura, Enrique and Ramirez closed their eyes and concentrated: trying to throw Dr. Namwen back with a blast of telekinesis. The monster laughed again, completely unaffected by the attack. The combined telekinetic effort had not even budged the monster.

"You fools," said Dr. Namwen with maniacal laughter, "I'm part Dark-Type! Your psychic powers are no match for me!" Anna and Sakura shrieked with fear as they, Ramirez, Enrique and Fredrick were lifted into the air by Dr. Namwen's dark hold. The monster gazed down at Simon.

"You don't even deserve half a chance, Simon!" snarled Dr. Namwen as Simon was lifted into the air. Li and Mei-lin ran out of the vault, scared of the giant monster and its terrible power. The Erureidos, realizing that there was no chance of victory fled behind the two Mawiles.

"Yes, run!" laughed Dr. Namwen, "At least you won't have to watch as I kill the Guardians and their friends!" The monster gathered the floating Pokémon close together and grinned at Mack and Aura as they tried futilely to get free of his great, dark power. All three pendants were shining brightly as Mack, Aura and Ramirez tried to break free.

"And now, Guardians of Gardev," said Dr. Namwen, "I'm going to kill your friends and your family, but I'll save you two for last. It won't be a pretty sight as I tear your friends and family apart, limb from limb!"

"Let us go!" snarled Simon.

"You can be the first to get ripped to pieces," cackled Dr. Namwen as he faced the Guardians, "I'll bet that Gardevoirs are very delicious. You and your beautiful wedding dresses should go down easily, but first, you'll have to be properly prepared." Aura screamed in pain as she felt something pulling hard at the base of her wings.

"You won't get away with this!!" shouted Mack with rage.

"Oh, of course," said Dr. Namwen, "Since you two are married; it wouldn't be right if you both didn't have your wings torn off all at once!" Mack gritted his teeth as he felt his wings being pulled hard. Aura shrieked loudly, flapping her wings vigorously, trying to break free as she felt the base of her wings getting pulled at harder and harder.

"Now to color the walls with your blood!" shouted Dr. Namwen with triumph. Mack glanced at Aura: she had fainted from the intense pain. Mack closed his eyes, bracing himself. A few moments passed, but nothing happened.

"What…what's going on here…?" asked Dr. Namwen with weakness. Mack opened his eyes and gasped: Dr. Namwen was covered with a bright, blue aura of energy. Mack looked back towards the vault doorway. He smiled, noticing that all the Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts had come to help. Their eyes were glowing brightly as they combined their power to counteract Dr. Namwen's evil energy. Mack suddenly felt Dr. Namwen's grip release. He unfolded his wings and swooped under Aura as the rest of the floating Pokémon slowly descended to the floor. Mack flapped his wings, coming to a gentle stop with his feet on the floor. Dr. Namwen screamed at the Gardevoirs and their families as they held him in place.

"How could this have happened?!" screamed Dr. Namwen with rage, "I foresaw it: the Guardians would fail against me!"

"We did fail," said Mack as he glared at the giant monster, "But there's one thing I know about Gardevoirs: they will give their lives for their friends. The people of the Gardevoir city would never allow any of their own to perish." Cecil and Andre stepped forward, cocking the rifles, filled with antidote darts. They pointed their weapons at the monstrous beast and pulled the trigger, sending a flurry of darts into the terrible being.

"NOOO!!!" screamed Dr. Namwen as the darts pierced into his flesh, "I'm the ultimate Pokémon! I can't be beaten!" Mack watched closely as the distorted beast started to shrink down. Soon, the terrible monster's body had reduced into the figure of a Gardevoir. The Gardevoir stood up as the army of psychic Pokémon released their telekinetic grip. Dr. Namwen, in his Gardevoir body, staggered towards the Guardians. He was still wearing the black pendant.

"I'm…I'm going to…kill you…!" said Dr. Namwen weakly as he staggered back and forth. Aura opened her eyes, feeling Mack's gentle embrace as he carried her.

"Mack, Aura! Finish him!" commanded Glacian. Mack set Aura on her feet and then they charged Dr. Namwen, tackling him to the floor. Mack and Aura pinned Dr. Namwen to the floor and laid their hands on him while their pendants started to glow brightly. Dr. Namwen screamed as he became blanketed in the Guardians healing light. Mack glanced down at the pendant: it was floating in the air. It looked like the pendant was trying to escape being purified.

"Mack!" shouted Glacian frantically, "Don't let the pendant flee!" Mack reached forward, but the pendant snapped its chain and went flying towards the ceiling. Mack watch with disbelief as the black pendant shot through the thick steel ceiling as if it was nothing. He returned his attention to Dr. Namwen, enveloping the mad scientist in light. Dr. Namwen let out one last scream as he closed his eyes and blacked out. Mack and Aura pulled their hands off of Dr. Namwen as the brilliant light from the pendants faded.

"There goes our chance to end the black pendant's evil," thought Glacian, "I can only imagine where it's going or what it is planning now. That ancient relic was made for the sole purpose of capturing the Gardevoir cities." Dr. Namwen opened his eyes: the eerie, faint red glow had vanished. Mack grabbed Dr. Namwen's hand and helped him up. Eric cautiously approached his twin brother.

"What will you do now, Dr. Namwen?" asked Eric. Dr. Namwen fell to the floor in tears.

"Brother, please…please never call me by that name again. My name is Alvin. Remember?" said Alvin. The strange and disturbing voice of Dr. Namwen had completely vanished and was replaced by a quiet, gentle voice. Eric sat down next to Alvin and put an arm around him.

"It's okay now, Alvin. It's over," said Eric softly, trying to console his brother. Alvin gazed at his brother, now in the body of a Gardevoir. He gazed at his green hands with shock.

"What have I done to us…?" asked Alvin with sadness as he faced Mack and Aura, "Can you ever forgive me, Guardians of Gardev?"

"No need," said Mack as he held Aura close, "Everything that has transpired happened while you were under the influence of the black power from one of your old shadow chambers."

"Even I'm thankful that you're back to your old self," said Simon gently. Alvin stared at Mack and Aura's beautiful wings and smiled.

"At least something good came out of my madness," said Alvin, feeling relieved. At last, his mind was free from the black insanity. Glacian faced the large group of Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoirs.

"It is done," said Glacian to his people, "Let's return, rebuild our homes and celebrate for the threat of Cipher has ended."

"But it's not over yet!" said Alvin with concern, "There's still the Cipher headquarters in the Orre region. That place must fall in order for Cipher to be completely defeated."

"Do you even know where it is?" asked Cecil with contempt, "Even I'm not sure how to get there!"

"Cecil…" said a nervous Alvin, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I do," replied Cecil, "Just like everyone else here. Now, tell is where Cipher HQ is."

"It's not far from Gateon Port," said Alvin, "You can't get there easily by boat and the island it sits on is obscured by fog, but you should be able to see it if you were to fly low enough."

"Than that's where Aura and I are going," said Mack with resolve. Aura held Mack's hand tightly and smiled at him.

"Yes," said Aura softly, "Let's finish this." Glacian walked up to the newlywed Guardians.

"If you intend to go, then go now," said Glacian.

"Believe me," said Alvin with a friendly smile, "Master Greevil should be a cakewalk for you Guardians."

"We'll see you back at the Gardevoir city, then," said Mack as he and Aura ran out the vault entrance. The Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts parted and cheered as the Guardians dashed by them, down the hallway and out of sight.

"We'd best be getting back ourselves," said Glacian.

"Wait!" shouted Alvin as he ran to an open crate and snatched a brown, leather satchel from the crate, "This is the last of my research. I know you'll help me put it to good use, Glacian. I'm sure of it."

"Very well," said Glacian, "Is there anything else you need to do here before we leave?"

"Yes," replied Alvin firmly, "I need to activate the self-destruct sequence for this base. The last Seismic Generator and all the blueprints must be destroyed as well as every last shred of evidence here. That way, no one will ever be able to copy my research and possibly do things that are even more despicable than what I did."

"As you wish," said Glacian.

"Oh!" said Alvin, "We'll also need to return Mack's aircraft and his armor."

"I'm sure my people will be more than happy to help you carry out that task," said Glacian. Andre and David stepped forward.

"Is it alright if we accompany you and your people back to your city, Glacian?" asked David.

"By all means, you are welcome to come with us," replied Glacian with a smile, "You're both heroes too for what you've done to help us defeat Cipher!" As the Gardevoirs celebrated and started to leave the facility, Mack and Aura stood outside the giant building, looking up at the sky.

"That building is going to be nothing but a fireworks show in a few minutes," said Mack as he smiled at Aura.

"Is that all you're worried about?" giggled Aura as she stared the clouds up above, "I'm so nervous about flying up there."

"It will be the fastest way for us to get to Cipher HQ," said Mack confidently, "Besides, thanks to Alvin, not only do we have wings, but we know how to use them. Trust me Aura; flying is going to feel as natural to us as…as natural as…"

"Love?" asked Aura. Mack blushed and laughed nervously as he embraced Aura.

"Not what I had in mind, but it'll do just fine, my love," said Mack as he kissed Aura, "Alright, let's see what these wings can really do!" Mack and Aura flapped their wings vigorously, kicking up dust from the ground. Moments later, Mack looked down as he and Aura started to get airborne. As they got higher and higher, they felt like they had been flying all their lives. Mack tilted forwards as he spread his wings, gliding in the air. Aura giggled as she flew alongside Mack.

"This is fun!" shouted Aura with delight. She looked down at the skyscrapers as they flew over Alakaz. Mack gazed at Aura: with her wings, her beautiful wedding dress and sparkling jewelry, she looked more beautiful than ever before. Mack sighed blissfully: he felt like he was looking at an angel. Aura glanced at Mack and smiled as she turned and flew above him. She reached out and ran her hands along the back of Mack's soft wedding dress. Mack smiled as he flipped over and wrapped his arms around his wonderful mate. They closed their eyes and covered each other with their soft wings as they fell towards the ground. Aura tightly embraced Mack and kissed with great passion, feeling the wind as they plummeted towards the earth. Just moments before they would have hit the ground, they broke their embrace, spread their wings and flew back up higher and higher into the sky. Mack laughed with delight as Aura flew alongside him. Flying all the way to Gateon port with his young mate was going to be better than he had ever imagined.


	17. Section 17

**-40-**

Hours later, Mack and Aura reached their goal: a giant metal sphere resting above a volcano: lava oozed out of its crater. Oddly enough, the base seemed to be completely deserted as Mack and Aura landed gently on the top of the sphere. They folded their wings and gazed at the impressive building.

"I can only imagine what it took to build a base here," said Mack as he embraced Aura.

"It's so strange though," said Aura as she held Mack close, "Why isn't there anybody here on Citadark Island?"

"I know what you mean," said Mack quietly, "I can't sense any humans or even any Pokémon in this entire place."

"Do you think they ran off?" asked Aura. Mack looked into an arena below them through a huge crevice in the dome.

"Judging from the damage down there, I'd say that someone beat us here," said Mack as he gazed at the large holes and areas on the metal floor and walls that were half-melted. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a motor, a boat's motor.

"What's that?!" asked Aura as she and Mack quickly turned around. They soon saw what the noise had come from: a large boat, shaped like a Kyogre, was driving away from the large facility. Mack and Aura gazed into the boat, at the young boy with his hands at the helm.

"Do you think he landed the final blow against Cipher?" asked a bewildered Aura. Mack smiled as the young boy continued to get further and further away from the island in the Pokémon-shaped boat.

"That's kind of funny," chuckled Mack, "An organization as powerful and ruthless as Cipher had their last defeat here at the hands of a young boy. This reminds me of when another young boy, several years ago, landed the finishing blow to Team Rocket."

"Oh?" asked Aura with a smile as she stared into Mack's eyes, "Perhaps you can tell me the story of how you and your friends defeated them?"

"Maybe I will, someday," said Mack as he hugged Aura and kissed her once again, "Besides, I don't want to run out of stories to tell you and our children, do I?" Aura blushed deeply and smiled as she and Mack kissed. For the first time in days, their pendants glowed brightly as their lips touched, almost reflecting the immense passion the two newlywed Gardevoir lovers had for each other.

**-41-**

The sun was now setting and twilight had descended upon the Gardev Mountains. The bright colors from the sunset made all the snow and ice on the peaks turn a pale pink color as Mack and Aura slowly descended back into the Gardevoir city. Much to their delight, the entire city had indeed been rebuilt and completely restored.

"Sheesh!" said Mack with amazement, "Glacian wasn't kidding when he said that thousands of Gardevoirs could accomplish a lot when they all worked together." Aura smiled at her mate as they gently floated towards the giant front yard of the palace. Mack glanced down and noticed something rather surprising: hundreds, if not thousands, of Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts were on the palace yard dancing, singing and celebrating. As Mack and Aura continued to descend, they stopped their party and gazed upon the Guardians as they set foot back on the ground in the middle of the crowd. Glacian approached Mack and Aura with a smile on his face.

"Well?" asked Glacian, "Has Cipher been eliminated?"

"Yes," replied Mack, "They won't be bothering us anymore." The crowd of psychic Pokémon cheered loudly at the news. Mack looked around as Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick, Sakura, Anna, Enrique, Ramirez, Cecil, Andre, David, Eric and Alvin gathered close to the Guardians. Mack couldn't help but notice that William, Xavier, Mei-lin, Li and Mewtwo were nowhere to be found. Glacian smiled, reading Mack's thoughts.

"Mewtwo left hours before you got here; however, he did say that he would visit us before too long. Xavier flew William, Mei-lin and Li back to Gardev," said Glacian, "They'll be waiting for you back in Gardev after your honeymoon."

"Heh!" said Mack with a shrug, "We'll be going back tomorrow anyway."

"However, that is not the case anymore," said Glacian as he gazed at the Guardians, "Mack, Aura: I would be honored if you would stay here for one week longer. After all you two have been through and done, I think you both deserve a longer stay in my city. After all, you've spent the last several days of your honeymoon trying to stop Cipher."

"I know," quipped Mack, "The last few days certainly have not been the best I've ever had." Aura giggled as she embraced her mate.

"Come on, Mack!" giggled Aura, "Explosions, humans turning into Pokémon, evil scientists, a hideous monster: don't you think it was all very romantic?" Glacian and the rest of Aura's family laughed.

"Ramirez, I believe that you are most eager to get back to Gardev?" asked Glacian as he faced his great-great grandson.

"Yes," said Ramirez with resolve as he nodded his head, "I should get back to my post."

"But not just yet!" said Alvin as he stepped forward with a satchel on his left shoulder, "I was hoping I could give you and the rest of your family something."

"That's really not necessary," said Glacian. Alvin responded by opening the satchel, revealing eight darts, filled with a familiar, golden-glowing serum.

"This is the last of my research," said Alvin, "And I want the Guardians and their relatives to have these. I know they'll all be able to put this kind of power to good use." Mack glanced at Glacian.

"You did say that the gift Aura and I would receive would become a symbol of the Guardian family," said Mack. Alvin faced Alexander, Aurora and their children.

"I would be honored if you would accept this from me," said Alvin, "I want the gift of flight to be yours." Alexander gazed into Aurora's eyes. She nodded her head and smiled.

"My mate and I will gladly accept your gift, Alvin," said Alexander.

"You know I want wings, too!" said Anna with excitement.

"I'll take them before I go back to Gardev," said Ramirez.

"I'll be happy to take your gift, too," said Fredrick. Alvin walked up to Glacian.

"You can have wings too, if you want," said Alvin with a friendly smile.

"I appreciate your offer, Dr. Newman," replied Glacian as he closed his eyes and bowed his head, "But I can't accept. The idea of taking to the skies alone just does not sound very nice to me."

"I understand," said Alvin as he closed the satchel, "Alexander, I'll give you, your mate and your children the serum later, after the party."

"Agreed, Alvin," said Alexander as he held Aurora close.

"Don't forget about one thing," said Cecil gruffly.

"I know," said Andre, "What will become of us?"

"That's a very good question," said Eric, "My brother, Cecil and I can't be turned back into humans, but the last of the Omegalings could be reverted."

"Whatever you choose, I want all of you to know that you are all more than welcome to live here in my city," said Glacian, "Eric, Cecil, Andre and Alvin: you are welcome to join the Gardevoir race. As for you, David, you may reside here for as long as you want."

"Thanks, Glacian," said Cecil with a smile. Andre and David faced each other, perplexed.

"I don't think I've ever seen Cecil smile, have you?" asked Andre. David shrugged.

"Can't say I have," chuckled David.

"Enough of this yammering on," said Glacian as he faced the crowd of Gardevoirs, "Let us celebrate the marriage of the Guardians of Gardev, the defeat of Cipher, our safe return and the welcoming of the Guardians' friends to our wondrous city!" With that, everyone started dancing and singing as music echoed throughout the Gardevoir city. Mack danced with Aura: they kept their wings folded up. From time to time, Mack would look around, wondering what the other Gardevoir couples were doing. He soon caught sight of Arthur and Jasmine as they danced in their wedding dresses, celebrating their tenth anniversary. Now and then, other Gardevoir couples would approach and congratulate the lovers. Mack then noticed Ivan and Celeste, also dressed in their wedding attire, as they held their young daughter close. As Mack and Aura continued to dance and kiss each other, Seth and Maria came alongside them, also dancing to the music in their wedding attire as they celebrated their own honeymoon.

"We'll have to visit sometime soon, Mack," said Seth as he held Maria tightly, "I'd like to hear more about yours and Maria's adventures one of these days."

"We'll be happy to have you come by, wouldn't we, Aura?" asked Mack with a smile.

"That would be perfect…" said Aura sweetly as she kissed Mack once again. Seth led Maria away as they danced. The celebration continued on for hours. Before long, Mack was starting to get tired and was also growing weary of the noise. Aura smiled and whispered into Mack's ear, sensing his feelings.

"Do you want to go to our room now?" asked Aura sweetly.

"Yeah…" said Mack blissfully, "I've had enough dancing for one night." Aura laughed with delight as Mack took her up in his arms, but before he could carry her away from the dancing Gardevoirs, Glacian walked up to the newlyweds.

"If you don't mind, there is something I'd like to show you two before you depart," said Glacian, "Will you come with me?" Mack gazed into Aura's eyes.

"Shall we?" asked Mack softly. Aura smiled and nodded her head in agreement. With that, they followed Glacian towards the palace. At the front door, they found Alvin, Eric, Sakura, Alexander, Aurora and their children waiting for them.

"I wonder what Glacian's surprise is?" asked Anna quietly.

"I know it's going to be something grand, just watch!" giggled Sakura.

"Now, please follow me to the treasure room," said Glacian. The group of Gardevoirs followed the old Gardevoir closely as he led them deep into the gigantic, white marble palace. Several minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of the treasure room. Just as Mack expected, the Erureidos had left their posts and were also at the party. The group entered the treasure room, following Glacian as he walked along the marble causeway between the mountains of gold and gemstones. Before long, they came to a stop at the three glass cases. Glacian walked alongside the glass cases, opened one up and slid a tiara on a shelf above the bride's dress.

"As you all know, these wedding dresses and jewelry are something I treasure dearly," said Glacian as he opened the cases. The two ornate, white dresses floated out of the cases and towards Fredrick and Sakura.

"Their so beautiful…" said Sakura with delight.

"I want you, Sakura and Fredrick to have them for your wedding," said Glacian. Sakura blushed deeply.

"I'm…I'm not ready to be married…" said Sakura with embarrassment and with nervous laughter.

"I agree," said Fredrick, "I want to be married on my parents' anniversary."

"That is just fine with me," said Glacian as the two dresses floated back into the glass cases. The doors were quickly closed by Glacian's telekinesis. Alexander walked up and put an arm around his son.

"If you want to marry Sakura, than by all means do so," said Alexander, "I, for one, will be looking forward to your wedding day."

"You're not the only one!" said Aurora with delight.

"This wedding attire will wait here until your wedding day then, Fredrick and Sakura," said Glacian, "You all may leave now, except for Mack and Aura." Glacian waited as the rest of the Gardevoirs left the treasure room, laughing and smiling.

"Just wait until you all have your wings!" said Alvin with happiness they left the large room, Glacian faced Mack and Aura.

"Now I know why I did this," said Glacian, "When I learned that you would receive a great gift, I did not know that it would be wings. Nevertheless, I had the urge to have a few things made. You'll find them up there in a small silver box on that mountain of smooth gold." Glacian pointed to what looked like a silver treasure chest with gold trim.

"Thank you," said Mack.

"It's not a problem at all, my dear friend," said Glacian with a smile as he started to leave the room, "Aura is going to look very fine in them."

"Why don't you come and visit my lab sometime?" asked Mack. Glacian stopped in his tracks.

"I'd rather not," said Glacian grimly, "For your lab is near the spot that Gloria was taken from me." Glacian continued to walk away. Mack waited until Glacian had left the entrance, then he gently set Aura down on the mountain of gold as he reached for the silver chest.

"I'll look nice in them, will I?" asked Aura with excitement, "I can't wait to see them!" Mack opened the chest and laughed. He faced his mate.

"Aura, spread out your wings," said Mack with a smile, "And close your eyes."

"Okay," giggled Aura as she unfolded her white wings and closed her eyes, "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see," said Mack as he knelt behind Aura. He opened the chest all the way and pulled something out from the chest. In his hand, was a clip, made out of platinum with a 4 karat diamond on it. Aura giggled as she felt smooth metal being put into her wings. Several minutes passed before Mack finally put the last clip into his mate's wings. Mack stood up, walked around and knelt in front of Aura.

"You can look now, my love," said Mack sweetly, "Be sure to take a good look at your beautiful wings." Aura opened her eyes and smiled. She gazed left and right at her wings: clipped into each of them were a dozen platinum bands, each one had a sparkling diamond on it. Aura grinned mischievously at her mate as she spread her wings.

"And what happens if I do this?!" shouted Aura with a fiendish smile as she flapped her wings vigorously. Mack dropped to the ground and shielded his face with his hands as pieces of gold and gems flew to the other end of the room from the great wind that Aura generated. Moments later, Aura stopped flapping her wings. She gazed left and right as Mack stood back up and opened his eyes: not even one of the platinum, diamond clips had flown off or even come loose.

"Well, looks like you'll be able to fly even with this extra jewelry," said Mack with a smile. Aura grinned as she leaned forward, wrapped her wings around Mack and playfully pulled him on top of her. Mack held Aura tightly as he wrapped his own soft wings around his mate. Aura blushed and giggled nervously as Mack leaned forward and kissed her. Aura then put her arms around her mate and held him close. The lovers sighed with delight as they closed their eyes and kissed each other with great passion.

"Um…Excuse me!" said voice from behind Mack and Aura. They broke their kiss and gazed upon a rather nervous Erureido.

"Guardians of Gardev," said Wallace with embarrassment, "I'm sorry to bother you two, but the treasure room is not a very good place for such a display of love and passion. Perhaps you would like one of us to escort both of you to your room for the night?" Aura faced Mack and smiled seductively at her mate.

"I guess we should do as he says," said Aura sweetly.

"Agreed, my love. Agreed," said Mack softly as he stood up, knelt down and then took Aura up in his arms once again.

"Thank you, but we won't need the escort," said Aura with a smile as Mack carried her out of the room. Night had fallen over the hidden Gardevoir city. The immense celebration had ended only minutes ago. While Mack carried Aura through a corridor, he looked out a nearby window as the sound of soft laugher filled the area. Aura gazed out the window too as five Gardevoirs with wings flew off into the distance and around the city.

"Mack," said Aura blissfully, "When we finally go back to Gardev, will you carry me back to our room?"

"Of course I will, my princess," said Mack as he started walking down the hallway again.

"And, we'll both be wearing our wedding attire too, won't we?" asked Aura with a grin. Mack smiled as he kissed his beloved mate.

"The things I do to make you happy," said Mack with gentle laughter, "Of course we will. I want everyone to see my princess in all of her splendor." Before long, the Gardevoir lovers arrived at their room. As the walked into their lavish room for the night, the door closed on its own. Down the hallway, obscured by the shadows, stood Glacian.

"Enjoy your night together, Mack and Aura," said Glacian quietly, "I know you'll both protect Gardev and each other until the end of your days. Your love will never fade. It doesn't take a look into the future to know that!" Glacian smiled as he walked into the shadows and out of sight.


	18. Section 18

**-42-**

The last week of Mack and Aura's honeymoon had finally come to an end. Now, the lovers were back in Gardev in their large room at Warren's house. Aura smiled as she hung up her wedding dress and placed it in one of the closets in the room.

"It was quite an adventure getting those wedding dresses off," said Mack, wiping some sweat off his brow, "I never imagined that our wings would make such a simple task take almost half an hour."

"You didn't think that was fun?" asked Aura with a grin, "I enjoyed every minute of helping you get out of your dress, Mack." Mack laughed and gazed at Aura. He had almost forgotten just how beautiful Aura was, even in just her simple, white, Gardevoir gown. Aura smiled as she closed the closet. She then walked over and sat down on the bed next to her mate. Aura glanced at Mack's wedding attire as it hung in the closet. She faced Mack and grinned, reading his mind.

"I see," said Aura with gentle laughter, "You actually liked going around in your pretty wedding dress, but only as long as I was nearby."

"I know you liked it," said Mack with a shrug and a smile, "So, tell me, when is the next time that we'll be getting into our wedding attire?"

"Simple," replied Aura with a smile, "Your birthday is coming up in October, so that will be the next day that we dawn our wedding attire in celebration." There was a soft knock at the door.

"Is it alright if I come in?" asked K-1 from the other side of the door.

"Please, come on in," said Mack happily, "I haven't seen you for over a week!" The door opened and K-1 stepped into the room.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" asked K-1.

"Not at all," said Mack, "Have anything to report?"

"Yes, and that is why I'm here," said K-1 as he faced Mack and Aura, "Three days ago, Central and I had the lab moved. It's now residing one hundred feet below the basement floor of this building. An elevator door in the basement will provide access to the lab."

"Good thinking, K-1!" said Mack with delight, "Since I'm going to be spending most of my time here in Gardev, we may as well keep the lab close instead of several miles away." Aura seemed to be very bewildered as she listened to K-1 and her mate talk.

"How on earth did you move the lab in only a matter of days?" asked Aura with curiosity.

"To be honest, moving the lab, despite its large size, is relatively simple, so long as there is a suitable site, like solid bedrock," explained K-1, "First, we teleported a large chunk of bedrock out from under Warren's house. This oversized boulder is the exact same size and shape as the lab's outer, metal walls. After the bedrock was removed, the lab was simply teleported into the fresh cavity below this house. After that, we had the R-25's install the elevator. Warren didn't seem to mind the construction, either."

"Wait!" said Mack frantically, "Is the old lab location still open? You didn't teleport the bedrock into it, did you?"

"Yes. The old location is still open," answered K-1, "I figured you would want to explore that new cavern and just to let you know, the chunk of bedrock is currently residing in the open field where the Cipher base used to stand. I'll leave it there until you want me to seal off the old laboratory site."

"Excellent work, as usual, K-1," said Mack with a smile, "But what about the aircraft bay?"

"The R-25's installed the fighter bay doors at the far edges of Warren's backyard," replied K-1, "Now, I must get back to the lab. I need to help Central run a few scans on the _Firefox_ as well as the rest of the aircraft."

"Okay, K-1," said Mack, "Thank you very much. I really appreciate yours and Central's hard work." K-1 bowed towards Mack and Aura, and then K-1 promptly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Mack glanced at Aura.

"So, what else do us Guardians of Gardev do?" asked Mack.

"Well, we do much more than just protect the village and its people," answered Aura with a smile, "It's also our job to keep the peace and help the townspeople however we can when they need it."

"I see," said Mack with a smirk, "So finding a mate and having children are the only easy parts of being a Guardian, isn't it?" Aura laughed as she stood up from the bed.

"I know you're only joking," giggled Aura, "The day our first Ralts is born will be wonderful. Now, we should get going now so I can introduce you to everyone in Gardev. It's important that we get to know the people in this village well." Mack reached out and grabbed Aura's hand as he stood up. Before long, they had left Warren's house and were walking down the streets of Gardev. They soon noticed that something was happening in front of Jake and Makoto's house. Simon was talking to the little girl, Sakura, as well as he mother, Makoto and her father, Jake. Li, Fredrick and Sakura the Gardevoir were nearby.

"Should I really let my Gardevoir, Sakura go now?" asked Sakura with uneasiness.

"You don't have to release her just yet," said Fredrick with a friendly smile, "Our wedding is several months away." Fredrick was very careful and kept his new wings well hidden: he did not want to draw any unwanted attention.

"I'll still stay here with you, until my wedding day," said Sakura softly, "And we'll visit you as much as we can."

"Remember that we were only to take care of Sakura until she was old enough to return to the wild," said Makoto softly.

"Besides," said Simon with happiness, "I have a new friend for you to take care of." A Pokéball floated out of a satchel on Simon's left shoulder. The Pokéball dropped to the ground and opened with a bright flash, revealing another Mawile.

"Her name is Mei-lin," said Simon as he smiled at the young girl, "I'm afraid that she's not strong enough to travel with me, so I need someone to look after her."

"Her name is Mei-lin?" asked Sakura with delight, "And I can keep her?"

"Yes," replied Simon, "You can keep her."

"What do you think, Li?" asked Sakura.

"Ma-wile-le!" said Li with happiness.

"Then it's decided," said Jake with a smile. Sakura faced her beloved Gardevoir. The little girl ran up and wrapped her arms around her dear friend.

"You can also help Sakura get ready on her wedding day," said Makoto as she smiled at her young daughter.

"Either way, you don't have to worry," said Simon, "Fredrick is going to take very good care of her."

"You know I will," said Fredrick happily. Mei-lin ran up and wrapped her arms around Li. Jake laughed.

"Li never did have another Mawile as a friend," laughed Jake warmly as Sakura let go of her Gardevoir. Fredrick walked up and held Sakura the Gardevoir's hand.

"I'll be back for you soon," said Fredrick with a smile, "After all, the tradition is that the groom and bride-to-be don't see each other until their wedding day." Fredrick kissed Sakura goodbye, then teleported away.

"I'll bet he's on his way back to the Gardevoir city," said Aura with happiness as she held Mack's hand. The little girl held her two Mawiles close and laughed happily as her Gardevoir knelt near her.

"Fredrick and Sakura are heading for a bright future, if you ask me," said Mack as he and Aura walked up to Jake and his family. Simon soon caught sight of the Gardevoir lovers. Jake gasped when he laid eyes on Mack and Aura. He ran towards them with great haste.

"Mack, Aura," said Jake with despair, "Have either of you seen Cedric? I haven't seen him for over a week now and I'm starting to get very worried about him."

"We'll keep an eye out for him," said Mack.

"I'm sure Cedric hasn't gone far," said Aura with a smile, "Mack and I can help look for him later."

"Thank you very much," said Jake with some relief. Simon gazed at Mack and Aura.

"I'm going to be leaving Gardev in a few minutes," said Simon gruffly, "But I want you to know that I'll be back within the next year. I, for one, do not want to miss Fredrick and Sakura's wedding.""

"Where are you going?" asked Mack.

"Wherever the sun goes," said Simon with a shrug, "It's been ages since I've been on a journey around this world. Besides, by the time I get back, I should have some dandy presents for your first wedding anniversary. Maybe I'll pick up some trinkets for Fredrick and Sakura too."

"Well, you have a good time out there," said Mack as he held Aura close.

"Don't forget to write," said Aura sweetly. Simon nodded his head and started walking down the street.

"Farewell, Mei-lin," said Simon with a friendly smile as he walked by the pair of Mawiles, "Sakura will take very good of you. I'll see you in less than a year. Bye!" Mei-lin smiled as Simon continued walking down the street. Just then, the little girl caught sight of Mack and Aura as they walked down the street with their wings folded on their backs.

"Mommy, daddy?" asked Sakura with curiosity, "Why do Mack and Aura have wings?"

"Ah," replied Jake warmly to his daughter, "Those wings were a gift from someone who is now their friend. Warren and Glacian told me all about it."

"Do you think they would take me flying someday?" asked Sakura with excitement.

"I'm sure they will," replied Makoto.

"I trust Mack and Aura," said Jake, "If they ever want you to fly with them, you can. I know they would take very good care of you, Sakura." As Jake and Makoto entered their house with their daughter and her Pokémon in tow, Mack and Aura walked down the street to the town square. Mack stared at the large, granite statue. Even now, he could barely believe all that had happened in the last few months. He never imagined that he would find his wife in another world or that he would become a Pokémon himself. The gentle gaze of the Gardevoir statue fell upon Mack as he and Aura came closer to the memorial. Mack gazed at the memorial, carefully reading the names of the Gardevoirs who had protected Gardev over the centuries. Some of the names had golden letters, signifying that they had given their very lives to protect Gardev and its people. Mack then looked over at his beautiful mate: Aura's soft gaze and bright smile gave Mack even more confidence in his great future, as a Guardian of the town of Gardev.

-The End…-

-Epilogue-

**-43-**

Mack was floating in the middle of the fresh cave that his lab had left behind.

"Are you okay up there, Mack?" asked Aura from below as she used her power of telekinesis to keep Mack steady.

"So far, so good," said Mack as he pulled a rock hammer out of a satchel on his right shoulder.

"So, what are we doing here anyway?" asked Aura with curiosity as she straightened her hard hat and wiped some dust off the helmet's lamp.

"We're just here to take one last look at this cavity in the bedrock before I have the chunk of bedrock from under Warren's house teleported in here," replied Mack as he floated to the ceiling, "Besides, I've always wanted to check out one particular area." Mack repeatedly struck the rock in the ceiling, raining small pebbles down below.

"But why that single spot?" asked Aura as the small rock fragments bounced harmlessly off her psychic barrier.

"To be honest, I want to see what was disrupting my lab sensors," explained Mack as he continued to hammer at the hard granite ceiling, "From this spot, my equipment kept registering false temperature readings as well as distorted life signals."

"What do you think it is?" asked Aura.

"I really have no idea," said Mack, "It could just be a chunk of uranium for all I know." Just as Mack finished his sentence, his hammer went straight through the ceiling.

"Are you okay up there, homey?" asked Aura when she noticed that Mack had stopped pounding at the granite ceiling.

"I'm okay, but I think I found something," said Mack as he quickly removed his hammer from the fresh hole. Moments later, large rocks dropped to the floor as a large portion of the ceiling collapsed. Aura's eyes glowed brightly as she held the rocks in the air with her psychic powers and then carefully placed them at the opposite end of the cave. Mack unfolded and flapped his wings as he floated into the large hole in the ceiling. His eyes fell on what appeared to be a large chunk of ice. The ice was roughly seven feet long and over three feet thick in diameter.

"What did you find?" called Aura though the hole in the ceiling.

"It looks like a large block of ice, but it isn't melting for some reason," said Mack as he placed his hand on the ice. Mack shrieked and quickly pulled his hand off the ice.

"What's wrong?!" asked Aura with fear.

"I'm alright, but this ice is incredibly cold!" said Mack with amazement, "It looks like it isn't even melting."

"Oh!" said Aura with understanding, "What you have up there is Never Melt Ice. It's so cold that it can be used to make Ice-Type attacks even stronger." Mack pulled a small blowtorch out of his satchel and lit it.

"Some water condensed and froze on this thing. I'm going to try and melt it off. There might even be something inside this oversized Popsicle," said Mack as he aimed his blowtorch at part of the large block of ice. Mack gasped when he saw something in the ice.

"Oh, dear…" said Mack as he took a few steps away from the ice block.

"Was there something inside the ice?" asked Aura with curiosity.

"Aura…" commanded Mack, "Go back to Gardev right now and have Warren contact Glacian."

"Is something wrong?" asked Aura.

"I don't want you to see this!" said Mack, not wanting Aura to lay her eyes on this horrible sight, "Now go get help!"

"Okay!" shouted Aura as she ran off towards the entrance. Mack stood alone in the granite chamber with the lamp on his hardhat illuminating the ice: right in the middle of the frigid wonder, was a female Gardevoir.

To be continued…


End file.
